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WWII-vet senator defends Filipino pensions

In a fierce Senate debate over pensions to World War II Filipino veterans still living in those islands, one of the strongest advocates for the idea is Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska — one of five World War II veterans still serving in the Senate.

“I do not get excited too many times on this floor,” said Stevens, who served in the Army Air Corps in World War II flying transport aircraft in China. “This bill excites me.”

Stevens was referring to S 1315, the Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act, which would provide about $221 million for special pensions to Filipinos of $3,600 a year for single veterans and $4,500 for married veterans who served with, or in support of, U.S. forces but who have no service-connected disability.

Work on the bill has dragged on for months because of opposition, mostly from Republicans, to the idea of spending money on pensions for Filipino veterans when the money could be used for programs or benefits for U.S. citizens.

Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, ranking Republican on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee who is leading the charge against the pensions, said he has “profound respect for the World War II service by Filipino veterans” but does not think such payments are “the right priority in time of war when the needs of our men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are so great.”

But Stevens leapt to defend the bill as a way to keep promises made to Filipino veterans after World War II by giving them a pension that is one-third of what they would have received if they moved to the U.S. and became citizens — which, he noted, is a right they had available to them.

“We are talking about honor, the honor of the United States,” Stevens said.

After World War II, the old Veterans Administration initially recognized Filipino veterans, but the new law was changed in 1946 to provide full benefits only to those who came to the U.S., Stevens said.

In a plea for support Tuesday night, Stevens said he spoke on behalf of himself and the four other World War II veterans still in the Senate who remember the contribution of Filipino troops.

“I hope the Senate will listen to the five of us because we are united,” he said. “We say this is a wrong that has to be rectified.”

The Senate’s other World War II veterans are Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye, Democrats of Hawaii; Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.; and John Warner, R-Va.

Inouye, chairman of the Senate defense appropriations panel, received the Medal of Honor for his service as an Army second lieutenant. Lautenberg and Akaka, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman, also served in the Army in World War II. Warner served in the Navy.

The Senate is considering amendments to the benefits bill, including one by Burr that would remove the pensions for Filipino veterans and spend the $221 million on benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

Senate leaders hope to complete work on the bill by the end of the week.