The White House

                  Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release                          October 18, 1996



          Honoring The Filipino Veterans Of World War Ii

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         By The President Of The United STATES Of America

                          A Proclamation


     During the dark days of World War Ii, nearly 100,000 
soldiers of the Philippine Commonwealth Army provided a ray 
of hope in the Pacific as they fought alongside United States 
and Allied forces for 4 long years to defend and reclaim the 
Philippine Islands from Japanese aggression.  Thousands more 
Filipinos joined U.S. Armed Forces immediately after the war 
and served in occupational duty throughout the Pacific Theater.  
For their extraordinary sacrifices in defense of democracy and 
liberty, we owe them our undying gratitude.

     Valiant Filipino soldiers fought, died, and suffered 
in some of the bloodiest battles of World War Ii, defending 
beleaguered Bataan and Corregidor, and thousands of Filipino 
prisoners of war endured the infamous Bataan Death March and 
years of captivity.  Their many guerrilla actions slowed the 
Japanese takeover of the Western Pacific region and allowed 
U.S. forces the time to build and prepare for the allied 
counterattack on Japan.  Filipino troops fought side-by-side 
with U.S. forces to secure their island nation as the strategic 
base from which the final effort to defeat Japan was launched.

     This month, as we mark the anniversary of General 
MacArthur's return to the Philippines, we acknowledge the 
important role Filipino soldiers played in turning back 
aggression, defending liberty, and preserving democracy, 
and we extend to them our abiding thanks.

     Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the 
United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in 
me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby 
proclaim October 20, 1996, as a day Honoring the Filipino 
Veterans of World War Ii.  I urge all Americans to recall the 
courage, sacrifice, and loyalty of Filipino veterans of World 
War Ii and honor them for their contributions to our freedom.

     In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand 
this seventeenth day of October, in the year of our Lord 
nineteen hundred and ninety-six, and of the Independence of 
the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-first.


     	    	      	   	William J. Clinton