Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

“This book begins with Filipino veterans of World War II chained to the White House fence, and ends with the American government trying to buy silence with lump sums.  Thus it is the war story of seeking justice after the war, a struggle rooted in the Philippine American colonial relationship, but branching down the generations into the political and cultural legacy which those who fought bequeath, not only to those who would deepen peace through social progress, but to the larger family of history where hope for justice makes all the world kin.   
 
....In the book you hold in your hands now, facts of memory and acts of history are the rocks thrown through time. Battles, military or legislative, may be won or lost, issues may be “hits or misses” with varied publics, but there is more.

“The circuits of the stars respond” for the “balance of the whole” is involved. You are involved.” -Peter Cuasay, editor Seattle
 
“A small account of large acts by a minority population in the United States: this book is an admirable contribution to the documentation of Filipino American lives.  Read it and weep but also rejoice, for it shows what is possible with perseverance.   
 
For decades, we have seen them at parades, wearing quaint uniforms and caps – the Filipino veterans of World War II -- and many of us, myself included, never quite understood the motives for nor repercussions of their wartime service and continuing demand for recognition.”
- Ninotchka Rosca, author and journalist New York
 
About the author

 

“The author bringing us this tale of war and postwar struggles, Arturo P. Garcia, was born and raised in the Philippines where he was a community and student leader. A graduate of political science, he immersed himself in community organizing and devoted himself to work with peasants, workers, and laity as well as cultural issues in Manila and surrounding areas before martial law was declared.  
 
Garcia organized the first community youth chapter in his district and was college student leader even before the First Quarter Storm. During Martial Law, he worked with different social action centers with emphasis on building peasant cooperatives and environmental organizations. After Martial Law, he also worked in freelance writing, becoming a news reporter for different national dailies in the Philippines.  
 
Garcia immigrated to the United States in 1997, started as a community volunteer, and became a community organizer for People’s CORE. In 1998, he helped organize the Pro-People Youth, then helped consolidate the Alyansa ng Komunidad (AK) from 1998-2000.   
 
Since 1998, Garcia organized the Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) as a campaign for People’s CORE. He became National Coordinator of JFAV in November 2008 after JFAV formally decided in 2006 to work as a separate organization from People’s CORE. Concurrently, he is also the coordinator of another community coalition, the Echo Park Community Coalition established in 2001.

Besides being a staunch community organizer and advocate for Philippine issues, Arturo Garcia is a theater actor, a writer of poems and articles, and a community historian. He was a neighborhood council member in the Echo Park - Historic Filipinotown district for five years. He is a member of the community advisory board for the Los Angeles City Human Relations Commission. All these roles involve unpaid volunteer positions filled with gratis et amore.”
- Peter Cuasay
 
Appearances

Arturo Garcia is available for speaking engagements on topics of Filipino Veterans Equity, Immigration and current political, economic and social issues affecting the Filipinos in the US and the Philippines.  Please contact Ago Pedalizo at (650) 731-4556 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Order Information  

The Unrecognized American Veterans is available for pre-release orders by contacting the above. Cover price is $18. 

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