♪♪
-Hi. Oh! Hi!
♪♪
-How old are you, Gene?
-One-O-Three. [giggles]
-He is the oldest.
♪♪
-We come together today to bestow Congress's
highest honor, the Congressional Gold Medal
on the valiant Chinese American
veterans of World War II.
[stomping] -Halt!
♪ O say can you sing ♪
♪ By the dawn's early light ♪♪
♪♪
-Tens of thousands of Chinese Americans fought
and died on behalf of a country
that for generations did not view them as fully equal.
-They served in every branch and every theater
with courage.
They wore
the uniforms of soldier, airmen and sailors with pride.
They fought and bled and died alongside Americans
of all backgrounds.
-These veterans are unsung heroes.
And many of them never received
the simple thanks our country owed them,
much less a congressional Gold Medal.
Recognizing the impact of Chinese Americans
during World War II is long overdue.
-I would drafted in March of
‘41. The war didn't start till December 7.
It was sun... Sunday morning.
Then the radios says Pearl Harbor
was bombed, you know, I said, oh, and then was sent to
Fort Lewis.
And they found out that I was a cook.
And my wife,
was uh...put me off the training and put me in the kitchen.
And then made me mess sergeant at the officers (indiscernible).
Then they sent me to the Guadalcanal.
From there, I went to the Philippines.
Oh, I feel like a real proud, to get a medal.
-On behalf of the United States Congress and all Americans,
I'm pleased to present this Congressional Gold Medal
to the Chinese American veterans at World War II.
In recognition of their bravery and service
and as an expression of our deepest gratitude and respect.
[laughter] -Congratulations dad!
-Look they did, I think they put on a good presentation.
It's not what we thought it would be.
You know,
we're just fortunate that dad was able to witness this.
-Why was it important for you to join the service?
-Well, to fight for your country.
Yeah.
Defend your freedom.
♪♪
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