November 7, 2002

Members of the U.S. Army's 1st and 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiments will be on hand for an early showing of a documentary film capturing their experiences during a critical time in American and Filipino-American history.

An Untold Triumph will be presented from 4 - 7 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 17 in the California State University, Sacramento's University Union Ballroom, and members of the regiments will host a question-and-answer session following the presentation. The film will be edited for an hour-long broadcast scheduled for a spring release on PBS television.

After President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order to form the regiments in 1942, Gen. Douglas MacArthur commissioned more than 7,000 Filipino immigrants who were living in the United States to serve in them.

A fierce love of their homeland and deep devotion to America gave these soldiers a passion to serve as paratroopers, infiltrators and spies during World War II. They became MacArthur's secret weapon in implementing strategic plans to retake the Philippine Islands. Later, 800 of them were hand-selected to supply intelligence behind enemy lines as part of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion from 1943 - 45.

The CSUS showing is presented along with the Sacramento/Delta and Stockton chapters of the Filipino American Historical Society, Filipino American Veterans Association and the American Legion Magellan Post.

Admission is free. More information is available by following the link at www.csus.edu/mcult, or by contacting the CSUS public affairs office at 278-6156.

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