From Stewards to Admirals: Filipinos in the U.S. Navy
Asian Journal, Commentary, Ramon J. Farolan, Posted: Jul 21, 2003
Perhaps more than any American institution, none has had a greater impact on Filipinos, both economically and socially, than the United States Navy.
According to an article "Filipino American Lives" by Yen Le Espiritu, Temple University Press, Philadelphia, the U.S. Navy began actively recruiting Filipinos as stewards and mess boys as early as 1898. In 1901, President William McKinley issued General Order No. 40 allowing the U.S. Navy to recruit up to 500 Filipinos for the Naval Insular Force. By World War I, there were some 6,000 Pinoys, or Filipinos, in the U.S. Navy.
Most were assigned as stewards performing the work of domestics, serving as cooks and doing menial jobs such as cleaning up in the galley, the wardroom and living quarters of officers.
Under a 1947agreement, only the U.S. Navy was allowed to recruit Filipinos for its armed forces and during the Korean War, the Navy annually took in up to 2,000 Filipinos, ages 18 to 24. By 1970, there were close to 17,000 Filipinos in the U.S. Navy. Someone mentioned that there were probably more Filipinos in the U.S. Navy than in the Philippine Navy.
For many of our young men, a career in the U.S. Navy was a life-long dream. In a number of communities, joining the U.S. Navy had become a tradition as well as a badge of distinction. The U.S. bases in the Philippines exposed the local people to American wealth, culture and standards of living, generating strong incentive for enlistment. In particular, the monetary incentive for joining was exceptional --the salary of a raw recruit was a lot higher than many in the towns and villages where they came from. There was also the opportunity to gain permanent residency in the United States and with that, eventual citizenship.
My own cousin, Henry Nivera who retired from the Navy and now resides in Titusville, Florida, must have sent in more than 10 applications before he was finally chosen. And for many, it was rough sailing mainly because of the racial issue. Of all the services in the U.S. Armed Forces, the Navy is the most tradition-bound and so it was slow in carrying out changes. Only in 1973, during the watch of Adm. Elmo Zumwalt Jr., youngest Chief of Naval Operations ever, were Filipinos given the right to enter any rank for which they qualified. Still, many remained as stewards and probably the most famous of them is Bayani Nelvis, a steward who was stationed in the White House during the Monica Lewinsky hearings who testified about "tissues with lipstick and other stains following a meeting between [then-President] Clinton and Monica."
But the doors that previously were closed, are now wide open for their children as well as grandchildren. A few years ago, while my wife and I were visiting the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, we struck up a conversation with an Asian-looking cadet. He turned out to be the son of a Filipino who enlisted in the Navy. He competed for and won an appointment to the Air Force Academy, while an older brother was a midshipman at Annapolis. In a few years' time, they will be holding responsible positions in the U.S. armed forces. My cousin's kids are all highly trained professionals and I am certain this is true for many of the children of other Navy men. The money they send home is probably not counted as part of remittances but there is no doubt it represents a hefty contribution to the national coffers. If you come across modest but comfortable homes in the rural areas, they probably represent overseas Filipino workers or U.S. Navy remittances.
Perhaps the most inspiring saga to come out of this long-standing relationship with the U.S. Navy is the story of Eleanor "Connie" Mariano, a 48-year-old medical doctor who was appointed as chief physician at the White House during the Bush and Clinton years.
Mariano was born at Clark Air Base in Pampanga in 1955. Her father served in the U.S. Navy as a steward along with four other Filipinos. After getting her degree from the Uniformed Services University at Bethesda, Maryland in 1981, she joined the U.S. Navy.
Three years ago, President Clinton promoted Mariano to the rank of Rear Admiral, the highest military position occupied by a Filipino-American woman. At the ceremony honoring her, Mariano told the audience: "I am pleased to stand before you today as proof that Filipino-Americans in the Navy no longer have to go through the kitchen, the back door or the garage. I came to the White House by way of the kitchen. I come from a family of Navy stewards. At that time and for many years, the only way Filipinos were able to serve in the Navy was as stewards."
She continued, "The Navy meant many things to my family. It meant freedom from poverty, for my father's family was very poor.."
But this is all a thing of the past: Recruitment of Filipinos into the U.S. Navy ended when an agreement for U.S. bases in the islands was scrapped in 1991.
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