The honor was long overdue and well deserved, both former mayor Bernard P. Carvalho Jr. and current Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami said Saturday at the Lihue Civic Center Mo‘ikeha Building rotunda.
Restituto Bumagat quietly sat through the protocol of being presented the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor the United States can bestow, the presentation being done by Capt. Timothy Young, commander of the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands on behalf of a “grateful nation,” for the services performed by Bumagat alongside American forces during World War II.
Witnessed by his family, dignitaries and veterans, Bumagat quietly sat through the military program that described his service.
Bumagat enlisted with the U.S. Army in the Far East on July 5, 1945, at 17 years old.
He served in K Company, 3rd Batallion 66th Infantry Regiment until May 1, 1946. During that time, Bumagat was engaged in combat against the Japanese Imperial Army in Northern Luzon, Philippines, where he almost lost his life while in the firing line in Mountain Province.
“Thank God for his corporal, who pulled him to safety where he miraculously avoided a sniper’s bullet,” said Young, who made the presentation. “His sergeant, firing beside him, lost his life in that combat.”
On May 22, 1946, Bumagat joined the Philippine Scout U.S. Army, and on Dec. 6, 1946, he was transferred from the Philippines, arriving in Okinawa on Dec. 9, 1946. He was again transferred from Okinawa on April 2, 1948, back to the Philippines, where he served with Company G, 57th Infantry Regiment, until his honorable discharge on April 23, 1949.
During that time, Bumagat was awarded the Army of Occupation Medal with Japan Clasp, Philippine Independence Ribbon, and the World War II Victory Medal.
Following his service, Bumagat served in community leadership positions, one being as a police officer, in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, Philippines, for more than 15 years, before moving to Hawaii following his retirement in 1982.
Eligibility for the Congressional Gold Medal, “Filipino Veterans of World War II,” includes being an individual who served honorably at any time from July 26, 1941 to Dec. 31, 1946, in an active-duty status under the command of the U.S. Armed Forces in the Far East, and within the Philippine Commonwealth Army, the Philippine Scouts, the Philippine Constabulary, Recognized Guerilla Units, the New Philippine Scouts, the First Filipino Infantry Regiment, the Second Filipino Infantry Battalion, or the First Reconnaissance Battalion, or commanding or serving in such a unit as a U.S. military officer or enlisted solder.
Kaulana Finn, delivering remarks on behalf of U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, said “the United States is indebted to a unique brotherhood of more than 260,000 Filipino-American soldiers from across the country who responded to President Roosevelt’s call to duty, and fought under the American flag during World War II.”
“On Dec. 14, 2016, we as Americans took a very important step forward in recognizing the loyalty and courageousness of these soldiers who persevered, fought bravely, and sacrificed greatly, on behalf of our great nation,” Finn said.
“The Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal (act) was signed into law, and is a testament to the many veterans who earned and deserve their place amongst our greatest generation of servicemen and servicewomen.”
This was done to correct the Rescission Act of 1946 that passed Congress and signed by President Harry Truman that voided the pact made between the United States and Philippine resistance forces by invalidating their active military service classification.
“We would not be the country that we are today without the sacrifice and service of our Filipino World War II veterans who fought tirelessly alongside their American counterparts,” Finn said. “Now we are able to appreciate them with our nation’s highest civilian honor — the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
