WWII

Courtesy of IOOF Hall in Arroyo Grande

After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in December 1941, eighty thousand Filipino men arrived at military recruiting stations to contribute to the defense of the islands but were turned away due to laws preventing them from joining due to their race. In 1942, however, President Roosevelt signed a revision of the Selective Services Act allowing for the formation of segregated Filipino battalions for overseas service.

On March 4, 1942 the 1st Filipino Battalion was formed and activated at Camp San Luis Obispo. The number of men wanting to enlist was so great that the 2nd Filipino Battalion was formed at Fort Ord near Monterey in October 1942 and trained at Camp Cooke (now Vandenberg Air Force Base). The two Filipino battalions contributed greatly to the war effort. They gathered intelligence on Japanese movements and instituted programs of sabotage and demolition in an effort to expel the Japanese from the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia. The battalions also liberated Japanese POW camps and took part in MacArthur's reinvasion of the Philippines.

Limited numbers of Filipino men were also allowed to join the U.S. Navy. A third Filipino battalion was originally planned, to be created from part of Hawaii's National Guard, but this was prevented when farm owners in Hawaii argued that Filipino labor was necessary in the fields to supply food for the war effort.

Learn More: Camp San Luis Obispo, WWII Experience in the Philippines, Veteran's Rights

For Further Reading:

• • The California State Military Museum: http://www.militarymuseum.org/Welcome.html

  • California and Second World War: California's Filipino Infantry: http://www.militarymuseum.org/Filipino.html

  • Santos, Bienvenido."Filipinos at War." Letters in Exile.1976. 93-95.

  • Quinsaat, Jesse. "An Exercise on How to Join the Navy and Still Not See the World." Letters in Exile. 1976. 96-110.

  • Shelly Cone's "Veterans Fight for Full Equity” article: http://www.newtimesslo.com/cover/2295/veterans-fight-for-full-equity/

  • Contreras, Shirley. "Filipinos Receive an Overdue Honor." SantaMariaTimes.com. October 17, 2009.

  • The Filipino Veterans Movement on PBS website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/macarthur/sfeature/bataan_filipino.html

Credits: This section, "WWII," was created by Erika Hucal, Jonathan Nguyen, and Muoi Nguyen. Original exhibit text was created by Doug Jenzen.