Six Chinese American veterans who fought in World War II were honored with a Congressional Gold Medal at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans on Saturday, NBC News reports.
Arthur T.S. Shak, William Shih Yin Ching, Wai Hoo Tong, Donald T.S. Lee, Harry G. Jung, and Wing Fook Joseph Li all took the stage to receive their medals. According to the Northwest Asian Weekly, some of the veterans were born in the U.S. and others were immigrants who were drafted into service.
“I’m very honored and humbled to be selected to do this,” Shak, an Army veteran from Hawaii, said per NBC News. “We are so grateful. … Mahalo to the National WWII Museum president.”
According to NBC News, 20,000 Chinese Americans served during WWII. But, many veterans who were immigrants struggled to obtain citizenship after the war despite fighting for the U.S. The Chinese American Citizens Alliance pushed for a Congressional bill that would honor those veterans. The bill was passed in 2018.
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My father is Wai Hoo Tong. It was a memorable weekend to see six Chinese American WWII vets attend the ceremony and be honored and bestowed the Congressional Gold Medal. Thank you to the Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project and the WWII Museum and the Gary Sinise Foundation / Soaring Valor for recognizing those who served in WWII. They were all over 95 years of age. Long overdue but grateful they were not forgotten. Thank you!!