Filipino War Veterans Take Advantage of Delayed US Response

"Thousands of Filipinos fought for the United States military against Japan during the Second World War. But, after the war, these veterans began another long battle to gain recognition as American war veterans. Victory came more than 60 years later, when the U.S. Congress granted a one-time cash payment to all Filipino veterans for "suffering endured". Frail and old now, some veterans say it has come nearly too late. The pulmonary ward of Manila's Veterans Hospital is filled with old and frail men, once able-bodied soldiers who helped the United States defeat Japan during the Second World War.For them, a new American law granting at least $9,000 as a one-time payment for their service in the U.S. military has come almost too late." (2009, Voanews.com)