Filipino Character and culture

[Lee]

A pragmatist might suggest that your wife's GF was appreciative of the 11K American soldiers that died in the PI helping to ensure that he didn't spend his last years speaking Japanese. So what value do you put on that type of sacrifice? 

[Old55]

41 minutes ago, Lee said:

A pragmatist might suggest that your wife's GF was appreciative of the 11K American soldiers that died in the PI helping to ensure that he didn't spend his last years speaking Japanese. So what value do you put on that type of sacrifice? 

I appreciate your thought Lee but those are two different things. And there is no need to call out another member in that way.

The US paid in young mens blood and much treasure to secure the freedom of the Philippines. 

Promised compensation for Filipinos was denied partly because there was no way to ensure who was legitimately entitled to receive it.

I think I read about this in Ian Toll's book, Twilight of the Gods: War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945 the last book of the trilogy. If you have an interest in the Pacific war this is a must read. 

[Possum]

The USA did not even honor the promise of veteran status to US Merchant Mariners. {My Dad was one.] They were promised full veteran benefits, suffered a higher causality rate than any uniformed service. but got zero until most died of old age According to my study there were many Filipinos who served as guerilla fighters during the Japanese occupation who should have received veteran status but also many Filipinos who were collaborators including Mariano Marcos ;the grandfather of the current president] who was convicted of collaboration with the occupying forces by his own people and torn into four pieces via ropes tied to carrabaos.

 It may have been difficult to separate the deserving for the non deserving

But, in fairness the USA wasn't exactly fair to their own folks much less to the Filipinos whose allegiance was somewhat fluid

[Guy F.]

5 hours ago, Possum said:

The USA did not even honor the promise of veteran status to US Merchant Mariners. {My Dad was one.] They were promised full veteran benefits, suffered a higher causality rate than any uniformed service. but got zero until most died of old age According to my study there were many Filipinos who served as guerilla fighters during the Japanese occupation who should have received veteran status but also many Filipinos who were collaborators including Mariano Marcos ;the grandfather of the current president] who was convicted of collaboration with the occupying forces by his own people and torn into four pieces via ropes tied to carrabaos.

 It may have been difficult to separate the deserving for the non deserving

But, in fairness the USA wasn't exactly fair to their own folks much less to the Filipinos whose allegiance was somewhat fluid

I didn’t know that.