Filipino WWII veterans and their service during the war are going to be compensated with a lump-sum depending on their citizenship. To some this will be an additional benefit, specially Scouts who have long been receiving benefits from the US. For others, this will be the first time they will receive anything from the US government, because they were either POWs (Prisoners Of War) during the time the US government asked for a list of active soldiers at the end of the war, or because of they were incapacitated and could not report after, or because they were Filipino citizens, or because their papers were lost, burnt, flooded, stolen--you name it.
I've heard my share of stories of how some veterans find it unfair that they were launched and fought side by side with American soldiers, yet were not given compensation for it. I have even heard that some have even survived the Bataan Death March, yet are only given less than a fourth of lower-ranked soldiers were given just because those lower ranked soldiers were able to submit their names while they waited in camp.
But those are stories of long ago. And sadly, many of these veterans have already died. One of them, being my grandfather. Ah, the stories my mom would tell about him...
But today's story is all about the chaos that ensued at the US Embassy. There were no classes today. Pres. Arroyo declared February 25 a holiday, but moved it to the 23rd instead so as not to disrupt the work week.
So we decided to hie on over to the US Embassy to file MommyLa's claim since she's an American citizen and she served as a military nurse during the war. Her rank was 2nd Lt.
We left the house at around 6:15am and arrived at the US Embassy at around 6:45am. The place was already packed with people! Mostly the veterans who had to stay under a huge tent outside because the embassy's waiting area inside the court couldn't accommodate the number of people.
There was a line of people on wheelchairs and all the seats were taken. So MommyLa was pointed to a spot where some veterans were beside the tent. She didn't have to stand long anyway because the 4th row of veterans were called inside and MommyLa's group took over.
As the minutes turned to hours, more and more veterans arrived. Most of the male veterans wore their uniform's hats, or some vest signifying that they were veterans. A few wore their own funky fashion--leather jackets, pink Chuck Taylors, or Hawaiian polo shirts to name a few. A few really made the effort to come in full uniform. Early comers had huge smiles on their faces as they walked in line going inside the building. Many, in their show of pride for being recognized continued to talk as if they were still in active duty. The ones who were still able to walk trudged dutifully and cheerfully. The ones in wheelchairs tried to show people that they were still able to move their limbs but stretching and jabbing their arms.
I couldn't help but admire all of these men and women and many times I teared up when I saw veterans who could barely walk or was being carried by a family member to the line. Because it was a holiday, the embassy didn't expect the number of people who showed up. There were sooo many who ha
d to be held up as they waited for a wheelchair.I was horrified at seeing some people carry huge metal oxygen tanks in their borrowed wheelchairs. I couldn't help but cry out when I saw a veteran being carried while he was seated in a plastic chair by a boy who had to be only 5'2 and about 16 years old. His skin was gray and flaky. Like it was already decomposing...
Filipinos and Americans from the embassy went to check on the old man and declared that he still has a pulse. So they rushed him inside to get his thumbprint and his picture.
People from the embassy were all very courteous to the old folks. This was in spite of the fact that people were rushing in from another temporary claim area, because they were all told to head to the US Embassy after the temporary area reached their quota. Unfortunately some of them were trying to convince the old folks to come back like another time because the filing of claims would last until February 2010. What they didn't understand was that a lot of these old folks and their families wanted to go immediately because they weren't sure if they were gonna live very long or even until the next day. The rules said that only the widows of veterans who filed a claim could collect. So there was a small rally earlier of widows and their families who have been waiting since 1946 for any sort of compensation. Just to have their husbands die a few weeks short of the signing of the Recovery Act... Sad really...
You'd hear personal stories left and right. You'd smell the mix of Ben Gay, white flower, green oil, Omega painkiller, oldness, mustiness...
MommyLa was able to get in the waiting area inside the embassy courtyard at past 2:00pm. She was also able to finally get out at 3:15pm. Every single one of the veterans and their accompanying family members or friends were told to keep the paper claim they were given and not to have it photocopied. Because some unscrupulous people could use it to claim the benefit instead if they're not careful..
So we'll just have to wait until they say that the money can be claimed or until they say that there are changes to the Act once more...
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