Johanna Puno Hester, APALA National President, stated: “Our community has been waiting for over seventy years to be recognized for their service. This is a tremendous win to distinguish our community’s bravery and service in history. We are extremely thankful for the leadership of authors Senator Hirono and Representative Gabbard to see this important piece of legislation to fruition.”
Gregory A. Cendana, APALA Executive Director, commented: “APALA has a deep history in this fight to get our veterans recognized. Our leaders – many of whom are part of the Filipino American community – have been working alongside the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project, which has tirelessly been leading advocacy efforts amongst other Filipino and Filipino American organizations, for almost a decade now.”