SAN FRANCISCO, March 10 (Xinhua) -- A San Francisco-based non-profit organization is working hard to look for as many families of Chinese American World War II veterans as possible to honor their service to the country.
Edmond Gor, Past National President of Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA), said over the weekend that more people should be mobilized to collect information about Chinese American WWII veterans or their families so that the veterans' service could be recognized and honored by U.S. Congress with a gold medal.
He said time is running out as the awarding ceremony is likely to take place in Washington, D.C. in October or November this year, and hoped every veteran eligible for the award would be honored to receive the medal.
He urged the public to help locate as many WWII veterans as possible because some of the records about the Chinese American WWII veterans were lost for some reasons and there was no centralized database when they were enlisted during the wartime.
Gor, who is also National Veterans Project Coordinator, said he intended to organize a three-day tour to Washington, D.C. for all the veterans to attend the ceremony.
"We want you to enjoy meeting your other World War II veterans and the families that you will convene with. I think that's a little bit exciting to know that some of these people who made it (survived the war) this far," he said.
Gor noted that the honoring of the Chinese American WWII veterans is of special significance because at least 40 percent of them were denied U.S. citizenship under the Chinese Exclusion Act, which was in effect during WWII.
The act, which was enacted in 1882, prohibited all immigration of Chinese laborers. It was the first U.S. law implemented to prevent all members of a specific ethnic or national group from immigrating to the country.
However, as many as 20,000 Chinese Americans, nearly one in five Chinese American men who served in the military, were fighting in every WWII theater during the war.
The number of living Chinese American WWII veterans is less than 300 at present, said Nelson Lum, commander of Cathay Post No. 384 of American Legion based in San Francisco, which provides service to retired servicemen and war veterans.
Gor said the Chinese Americans were treated unfairly and discriminated against during the war period when they were even fighting for the United States.
"It's a good thing for us to recognize our Chinese American veterans ... We serve the country just like anyone else despite the fact that we were not even citizens," he said, adding that it's important "our children or grandchildren would know this part of history."
The Chinese American World War II Veteran Congressional Gold Medal Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump last year to present the medal, the highest civilian honor in the United States, to Chinese American veterans.
The legislation was a result of a CACA-led national campaign known as the Chinese American World War II Veterans Recognition Project seeking to honor and recognize the Chinese American WWII veterans for their sacrifices to the country.
