Filipino Veterans’
Untold Story

About

This is a story of brave soldiers who served under the American flag during WWII, only to be forgotten by the U.S. government after the war.

Duty To Country is an online education project. It tells the story of Filipino World War II veterans and their advocates who, together, fought for decades for their rightful recognition and benefits from the U.S government. The project features Under One Flag, an in-depth visual story, hours of oral histories, and classroom teaching resources. The Duty To Country project seeks to enshrine the stories and sacrifice of Filipino veterans in American History.   More >

Online Exhibition

Under One Flag: The untold story of the United States and the Philippines fighting together under the U.S. Flag.

Under One Flag documents a century of history, featuring first-hand accounts of living veterans, historians, and community advocates. It explores how Filipinos were enlisted to fight under the U.S. flag and shines a light on their service and sacrifice during World War II. It recounts how the U.S. government turned its back on Filipino veterans after the war, denying them benefits and recognition for their service.

Under One Flag showcases archival photographs, films, illustrations, and animations that bring this history to life for readers of all ages. It aims to recognize these heroes, and to empower a new generation to reflect on what we owe our country.  Explore >

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Photo of Filipino soldiers posing with American flag

The Story

Explore the story through a menu of chapters, including the Introduction, The Colonial Period, The Crucible of War, Promises Made, Promises Broken, The Long Road to Equity, and the Conclusion.
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Animations

Experience the stories of veterans and activists brought to life through short animations, ranging from firefights in the jungle to protests in Congress.
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Photo of Filipino soldiers posing with American flag

Illustrations

Witness significant moments across this history brought to life through the richly detailed illustrations crafted by artist Aria Villafranca.
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Profile Cards

Learn the roles played by key people in this story by browsing their profile cards, featuring illustrated portraits and short biographies.
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102 year old veteran Justino De Lara during his oral history interview.

Oral Histories

With 20+ hours of videos, Duty to Country showcases a rich archive of compelling interviews. The archive provides short, topical compilations, highlights from each interview, the full interviews, and searchable transcripts. This timely effort captures stories told by the last of the living veterans, their families, activists, and historians.
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For Educators

Designed for teachers in the classroom, these online educational resources include several detailed Lesson Plans and Explainer activities. The lesson plans incorporate primary and secondary sources and contextualize content from the exhibition and oral histories. Lesson plans and activities are aligned with curriculum standards for ease-of-use.
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Graphic Novel Now Available

In the Shadow of Giants tells a compelling story spanning from World War II in the Philippines through to the United States in the present day. It provides a fantastic introduction to an often overlooked chapter of American History, touching on themes of wartime service, civil rights, and congressional legislation. To support classroom learning, the book contains Reading QuestionsBased on True Events references, and links to explore more on the Duty to Country website. 

In the Shadow of Giants is available in print, as a webcomic, and as a Adobe PDF download for educators and students.

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