(Photo grabbed from Wikipedia)
Pres. Duterte has repeatedly called for the return of the bells.
Wright said the new resolution “clearly demonstrates the support of the American veteran community with the VFW and its 1.7 million members and the Legion’s 2.2 million members calling for the return of the bells.”
“Of note is that it was the VFW and American Legion posts and departments in the Pacific that led these initiatives, something to be proud of. Veterans doing the right thing,” he added in a letter commenting on the American Legion’s resolution passed last week.
In an earlier memorandum to the US National Security Commission, American Legion officer Jeff Steele recalled that in July 2018, the VFW had already approved a national resolution in favor of returning the bells.
“In early August 2018, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis notified Congress that the department plans to return the bells to the Philippines at a date yet to be identified. On August 21, 2018, Chairman Schlee and National Security staff took part in a conference call with Dr. Joseph H. Felter, deputy assistant secretary of defense, Asia & Pacific Security Affairs. The call was at the request of the Pentagon and speaks of the importance they place on the issue,” he said.
Steele also noted that “Dr. Felter explained that the intent of returning the bells is not to dishonor veterans, but to do right by a close ally. He said there is a plan to provide replica bells so that the current memorial in Wyoming can remain as a fitting tribute to the sacrifice of the soldiers who lost their lives in the conflict. He stated that there is a compelling national security interest in returning the bells.”
The resolution noted that “the Philippines is predominately a Catholic nation where church bells play a very important role in the lives of Filipinos as well as reflective of their national patrimony representing the very fabric of their cultural heritage and history and because the bells were bought and paid for the parishioners of San Lorenzo de Martir to return the bells would be the honorable and right thing to do and result in national jubilation.
The legion then resolved that “in recognition of the 75th anniversary of the Bataan Death March and the historic military ties and camaraderie between Americans and Filipinos and given that new and accurate information on the history of the two bells now exists, that the Secretary of Defense in collaboration with veteran organizations, take action to return the two Catholic church bells now on display at F.E. Warren Air Force Base (formerly Fort D.A. Russell) in Cheyenne, Wyoming to the parishioners of the church of San Lorenzo de Martir in the town of Balangiga, province of Eastern Samar, Republic of the Philippines.”
A dynamic young organization approaching its sixth anniversary, the US-Philippines Society has become widely recognized as the premier private sector forum for enhancing U.S. relations with the Philippines.
With headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Society was launched in May, 2012 to create a new and timely mechanism for raising awareness of the Philippines in the United States and supporting modern 21st century bilateral ties.
The Society is an independent 501 (c)3 non-profit co-chaired by former U.S. ambassador to the Philippines John D. Negroponte and Philippine business leader Manuel V. Pangilinan, with a bi-national board of directors including prominent Filipino and American civic and business figures.
