Clinton honors Fil-Am veteran with Congressional Medal of Honor
WASHINGTON D.C., June 23 -- In a solemn afternoon
ceremony in an ornate tent pavilion on the South Lawn of the White House, President Clinton has awarded an 84-year-old
Filipino-American with the nation's highest military honors for his brave actions in World War II.
Rudolph
Davila, a veteran from Vista, near
San Diego, California, received the Congressional Medal of
Honor for his single-handed defense of a company of 130 men caught in the open
and under fire by the Germans at Artena, Italy in May 1944. He was
also wounded in battle.
In alphabetical order, Davila led 22 Asian-American veterans
who were belated recipients of the U.S.' most prestigious military award and former victims of discrimination.
"We were not only fighting for freedom and equality abroad,"
Clinton said in his introduction. "Rarely has a nation been so well served by a people it has so ill treated," he said in touching
irony.
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A prominent recipient was Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) who
lost the use of his right arm while leading his platoon to victory in a brutal battle in Italy in 1945.
During the past two decades, Inouye had been a champion for
equitable benefits for Filipino WWII veterans who served in the U.S. Army.
During the two days of Army-sponsored activities in the
capital, Davila was accompanied by his adult children and teenage
grandchidren.
Ceremonies were also held at the Arlington National Cemetery
and at the Pentagon.
The Army recommends awarding the Medal of Honor to the
recipient based on the criteria of "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of
duty."
When asked by a reporter how he felt about the racism at the
time, Davila humbly said, "I didn't think about it..and I didn't know our job was above and beyond the call of duty - I just did
it." (SNS)
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