In its six years of championing the cause of Filipino World War II Veterans, FilVetREP has secured the Congressional Gold Medal, and developed an education program by launching an award-winning online interactive website, www.dutytocountry.org.
To celebrate these accomplishments, and to thank the many generous sponsors, donors, supporters and volunteers who made these achievements possible, FilVetREP will hold a reception and dinner on
Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022
6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel
1700 Richmond Highway
Arlington, Virginia, 22202
The event includes a Congressional Gold Medal award ceremony to honor 12 recipients. Dinner tickets are $175/person. Formal attire is required.
To register, visit: https://veteransball.regfox.com/filvetrep-anniversary
Our mission continues
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest award bestowed by the U.S. Congress to an individual or group who contributed immeasurably to American history and culture. After more than 70 years, the U.S. finally recognized the more than 270,000 soldiers who fought under the American flag. On October 25, 2017, Congress honored them with the Congressional Gold Medal.
Since its implementation, FilVetREP has conducted more than ninety ceremonies across the U.S., Hawaii, and Alaska. Similar ceremonies have also been held in the Philippines. To date, more than 5,000 veterans have received this medal.
Having accomplished its first mission, FilVetREP undertook its second mission: to develop an education program that would create greater awareness of their service and sacrifice. In January 2022, FilVetREP launched the Duty to Country – A Broken Promise education project, www.dutytocountry.org. This online interactive website demonstrates the legacy of the Filipinos and Filipino Americans who fought in the Philippines during World War II. With a grant approved by the Department of Education on Sept. 2022, FilVetREP plans to expand this program, which is available at no cost for teachers and educators.
“Our principal objective for Duty to Country education program is to reach the K-12 grade classrooms to increase teachers’ and students’ historical understanding of the roles played by Filipino and Filipino American World War II Veterans, and the challenges that impacted their lives after the war,” says FilVetREP Chairman Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba (Ret). “We are optimistic Duty to Country will reach several schools across the country in 2022 – 2023. We have to do this for the Filipino and Filipino American Veterans of WW II as their contribution to American history.”
For more information about the Oct. 22 anniversary celebration, contact Lida Peterson, event coordinator, at lida@cimpa.org, tel. 703.818.1357, or FilVetREP Executive Secretary, Jon Melegrito, jdmelegrito@gmail.com, Tel. 202.361.0296.
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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.