SOA to Help Honor Filipino WWII Veterans Receiving Congressional Gold Medal - Jan 26, 2019

Basic event info
Event date: 
Jan 26 2019 - 4:00pm to 6:15pm
Location: 
Filipino Community Center
94-428 Mokuola St., #302
96797 Waipahu , HI
United States
Hawaii US
Public event fields

America's Filipino heroes of the Second World War are finally getting some overdue recognition, and the Sounds of Aloha are thrilled to help! We'll be providing music for the January 26, 2019 award ceremony at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu honoring our Filipino recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress's highest civilian honor. The event is organized by the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project and will be hosted by famed retired U.S. Army Major General Antonio Taguba, who is a graduate of Leilehua High School and whose own father fought in the Philippine Scouts in the Batle of Bataan and survived the Bataan Death March.

One of the things that makes our home so great for SOA is that we can be part of so many events commemorating history and sacrifice. And because so much history happened right here, and because of Hawaii's diverse population, these acknowledgments sometimes help paint a bit more complete picture. Over 260,000 Filipinos -- then U.S. nationals -- fought for the U.S. during the Second World War, but after the war they were unexpectedly denied veterans benefits and their story often forgotten. Thankfully that has changed recently, and we can't wait to sing some patriotic songs for this very special audience!