Leo Giron
Little Manila and the Filipino Veterans of WWII
At the time of World War II's aftermath, the GI Bill of Rights had been the most expansive set of social benefits ever to be offered by the federal government. The GI Bill afforded the veterans of WWII with a rare opportunity to reinvent their livelihoods and establish themselves in their respective communities in ways they were never able to before. Obviously, the greatest demographic of veterans better positioned to reap the benefits of the GI Bill were lower and middle class Whites. Others, such as African Americans, Mexican Americans and Filipino Americans, were unable to enjoy their hard-earned compensations in the same manner.
Fortunately, Filipino veterans who returned or settled in Little Manila, Stockton, CA after the war were able to enjoy a different type of benefit. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, anti-Japanese sentiment rose so prominently within California and all across the United States. This created an opportunity for the Filipino populations of the Central Valley. Since the Philippines was an important US ally, and because Japan, conversely, was becoming an ever-escalating threat, California Filipinos witnessed a massive wave of positive public opinion come crashing down upon them as they became commonly known by White Americans as "the Good Asians."
Soon after the war’s end, the Filipino community of Little Manila saw a dramatic increase in civil rights gains and employment opportunities rarely afforded to any minority demographic within the United States at the time. Furthermore, their public national image was the best it had ever been.
This was the new and prospering Little Manila that Army veteran Leo Giron returned to after completing his service as a member of General MacArthur’s Second Filipino Infantry Regiment. The First and Second Filipino Infantry Regiments were established in 1942 for the sole purpose of executing numerous covert and counter-intelligence operations throughout the Philippines. During his time in the Army, Sergeant Giron was responsible for leading American and Philippine soldiers through some of the most hazardous challenges World War II had to offer. This included sneaking past enemy lines to gather vital weather data and other military information in the hopes of turning the tides of battle.
Leo Giron returned to the Delta region a war hero. He has also gained worldwide fame and recognition for his unmatched skills as a martial artist and grandmaster, having been the founder of the Bahala Na Filipino Martial Arts Association in 1968. Giron passed away in 1999, having strengthened the Delta’s Filipino communities and affirmed their identities as true, honorable, and loyal Americans.