For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Leezel Tanglao
media@filvetrep.org
November 3, 2023
The Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetRep) Duty to Country – Under One Flag Education Project has added a new component to its program – a graphic novel.
The 225-page graphic novel, “In the Shadows of Giants,” follows the story of Constance, a Filipino American teen who discovers an old photo of her grandmother as a teenager. It sparks a journey of discovery into her lola’s guerrilla past set against the backdrop of WWII.
Inspired by true events and the experiences of veterans and their descendants, “In the Shadow of Giants” is a historical fiction with real-world significance.
“It’s an incredible and thrilling story of a young woman in search of her family’s legacy… reminded me of my own journey discovering my family’s legacy from the war,” said Antonio M. Taguba, Major General, U.S. Army Retired and chair of FilVetREP.
In addition to the graphic novel, the Duty to Country – Under One Flag features multiple education resources that include:
- A comprehensive online exhibition, 10 detailed lesson plans, 14 explainer activities with over 200 educational resources available to middle and high school students.
- The website includes 25 hours of oral history interviews with veterans and advocates, 120+ highlight clips and 20 animations crafted from the oral histories.
- Features a deck of 30 profile cards of key figures and dozens of detailed illustrations.
- A 14 page media kit and 45 minute teachers training video.
- A 20 minute film capturing the full history of FilVetREP.
This project is the fulfillment of a promise made to the Filipino Veterans of WWII to tell their story of loyalty, patriotic duty, and solemn oath to serve under One Flag– that of the United States of America. They served and sacrificed despite the betrayal of promise to care and compensate for them and their families after World War II.
All components of the education program are fully accessible online, and FREE to teachers, students, and public at large. Teachers at middle and high schools across the country and in Hawaii will have the opportunity to learn, discuss, and discover this piece of American history.
Historical and cultural institutions will be able to share this program with the public. To facilitate this, Duty to Country also includes 50 minutes of teacher training videos to orient educators on how to use the Duty to Country curriculum in the classroom, a media kit, a variety of overview handouts, and a suite of free content tailored for usage in broadcast media.
This incredible accomplishment brings to life the story of the U.S – Philippine relations that dates to 1892 – of the untold and hidden history of colonial imperialism, path to Philippine Independence, World War II in the Philippines, and the devastating impact on the lives of the veterans and families caused by the Rescission Act of 1946 – a law that still exist for over seventy-five years.
This state-of-the-art project was approved with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. It was produced by the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP), a nonprofit, tax exempt, charitable and education organization composed of dedicated teachers, educators, students, historians, community advocates, and families over the course of five years. It was developed by Night Kitchen Interactive, a leading and award winning online education designer company in the country.
FilVetRep is deeply grateful to Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) for her stalwart support of the Duty to Country education project. A special thanks Eric Schulz, Project Officer, Dept of Education for his outstanding assistance in producing Duty to Country.
Log on to Duty to Country at www.dutytocountry.org and enjoy the program.
The graphic novel is currently being printed and distribution priority will go to students, educators, and schools associated with the Duty to Country Education Program. Additional copies may be available to the public if they are interested. Please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/uaDdTjB6yj8DmMUGA
For questions and inquiries, please contact Valerie Mendoza, PhD, Education Outreach Coordinator at education@filvetrep.org, or Tony Taguba, Chair and Project Director at ttaguba@aol.com, or Marie Blanco, Vice Chair at mcblanco@verizon.net, or Jon Melegrito, Executive Secretary, at jdmelegrito@gmail.com.
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The Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP), is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, community-based, all-volunteer national initiative whose mission is to obtain national recognition of Filipino and American WW11 soldiers across the United States and the Philippines for their wartime service to the U.S. and the Philippines from July 26, 1941 to December 31, 1946. For more information about Filipino WWII veterans and how to get involved, visit our website at www.filvetrep.org or find us on Facebook or Twitter.