Filipino WWII Veterans Seek Pensions From U.S. Government

SAN FRANCISCO - APRIL 14: Inocencio Mariano Capinpin, 79, lays in bed at his home April 14, 2005 in San Francisco. Mr. Capinpin fought the Japanese during WW II as a guerilla soldier. He was among the Filipino soldiers who were granted citizenship through naturalization in the early 90s by virtue of his status as a WW II veteran. However, he is not eligible for pension so he lives off $750 on Supplemental Security Income (SSI). To save money on rent, he shares a converted one bedroom apartment in the heart of the Tenderloin with five other people, two of whom are also Filipino WW2 veterans. He and other Filipino WW2 veterans are claiming full veterans benefits promised in President Roosevelt's Presidential Decree at the beginning for the war but later reneged by the US Congress in 1946. Like many Filipino veterans living in the US, he is old and sickly. His spends most of his days at home sleeeping or watching TV. (Photo by Marvi Lacar/Getty Images)