A Salute to Sgt. Tom Culanag

A Salute to Sgt. Tom Culanag

( This eulogy for JFAV-AWARE-MHC  was read by Atty. Arnedo Valera at the viewing of Sgt. Tom Culanag in the Washington-Maryland-Virginia tri-state memorial service for the departed veteran on January 23, 2010.)

Today we give our final tribute and honor Sgt. Tom Culanag.

He belongs to what America called “the Greatest Generation.”. They who defended our freedom when  it was threatened. But sad to say He does not belong to it .

Our World War II veterans do not belong to it. America still refuses to recognize them. Consider that until today our Filipino World War II veterans are still not recognized as American veterans by law. By the government and the flag that they served during the great war –World War II.

Sgt.Culanag fought as a guerilla in Nueva Vizcaya. He also enlisted as a new Philippine Scout and a soldier of the Commonwealth army in the Philippines . And yet Tom Culanag fought another war. A war against forgetting and a war for remembering. The United States government conveniently called their service “ not active for the purposes of benefits. In a stroke the pen, 79th US Congress by the Rescission Act of 1946 dishonored our veterans.

Tom Culanag walked the halls of Congress. Like other veterans whose shoes were worn out for walking the hall of congress during the lobby for 12 years. Napudpod na ang mga sapatos nila at nakuha lang natin ay kakarampot na Lump sum . Sa mahigit na 46,000 na nagapply halos kalahati ang nadeny. May 22,000 sila at may mahigit pang 8,000 ang nasa proseso at naghihintay. Ano ba naman yan.

Tama ang sinasabi ng mga nasa Pilipinas. Nagmumukha na tayong pulubi. Panahon na na manindigan tayo at igiit ang ating mga karapatan. Ito ang ginawa ng mga Japanese Americans noong 1978. Ito rin ang landas na ginagawa natin ngayon sa pamumuno  ng MHC, JFAV at AWARE.

But today, after 65 years, Congresswoman Speier of California filed by Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2011 or HR 210. We can honor Tom Calunag and other who did wavered and continued to lobby for fairness and justice, for equity and benefits by  supporting the bill, by supporting JFAV,Aware and the MHC in our continuing struggle.

HR 210 seeks to 1) repeal the rescission act and provide full benefits to veterans and widows 2).It will expand the eligibility for benefits to include all military records within and outside the “Missouri List” 3) and repeal the “quit claim” or the waiver of rights in the FVECF. Ngayon may roon na tayong mas malaking pag-asa.

Kung nagawa natin noon mula 1997, kaya pa rin nating gawin ito ngayonng 2011. Alalahaning natin papalapit na ang eleksyon ng 2012. Ito na ang tamang panaho na tayo ay maningil ng pampulitikang pabor.

Concomitant to this lobby is our court case against the DVA that is complementary to our lobby in the US Congress. The best tribute we can give to our remaining veterans is to continue their struggle and win it for them.

Nakilala si Mang Tom nang punitin niya ang denied application niya sa harap ng DVA noon sa Washington DC noong 1998. Kung nagawa niya ito noon, kaya nating gawing muli para patunayang hindi tayo titigil hanggang hindi natatamo ang tunay na katarungan, mge benepisyo at equity!

Walang pinakamalaking karangalan maipagkakaloob sa mga beterano kundi ang kilalanin sila bilang beterano ng Amerika. Ang pagpapatuloy ng kanilang pakikibaka at ang tagumpay nito ang tanging maiaalay nating kontribusyon ng ating komunidad sa ating mga nabubuhay pang at namatay nang mga bayaning Pilipino.

Ngayon ang panahon na nang pagkakaisa. Kung tayo man ay may hindi pinagkakaunawaan sa taktika sana ito na ang panahong mag-isang hanay tayo at suportahan ang panukalang batas na ito para sa katarungan at benepisyo ng mga beterano, ng kanilang mga balo at naiwang kaanak.

Katarungan, pagkakapantay-pantay, Karangalan para sa mga beterano.

Isabuhay ang diwa ni Sgt. Tom Culanag.