In Servitude with Honor and Dignity:
Filipinos in the American Military Service
Produced by Margaret Lacson-Ecarma
Screening Release Date: May 2007
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In Servitude with Honor and Dignity is a 30-minute documentary that depicts the historic and inspiring military service of active duty American men and women of Filipino heritage in the armed forces of the United States. Trailing from 1898, In Servitude with Honor and Dignity shows the wave and migration of Filipinos joining the various American military services, where the U.S. Navy is documented to be the largest military organization of service members from the Philippines and Americans of Filipino heritage.

This documentary highlights a historical outlook from the eyes of those who had served the American military since its ties to the Philippines during the Spanish-American War to World War II. Pages of history from those times are bridged to those who still live today who tell their tales of struggle and victory serving the American military forces. Their stories give life to the achievements of those who have reached top ranks in the Army, Navy, Marines and the Air Force in the post-September 11, 2001 times. Featured in the documentary are accomplished service men and women who represent challenging times for Filipinos in the military services. Among them, hail testimonies from former chefs, who graced flag officers and numerous American presidents, to those who broke the glass ceiling in their military careers. These experiences complement a new brood of young recruits and officers who continue to be inspired to pursue military careers in both enlisted and officer corps in various fields now open to them in healthcare, operational warfare and information technology, among other competitive careers in the military.

In Servitude with Honor and Dignity leaves the audience with inspiring thoughts from young military officers who continue to persevere in their new-found careers as they proudly carry the baton passed on to them from the efforts of the first wave of Filipino enlisted sailors and soldiers who sacrificed their lives in paving the way for a new generation to participate and compete in the challenging times of the United States' military services in the 21st century.

Documentary Highlights

• Antonio Taguba (ret), only Filipino American Army general active in the Iraq War
• Connie Mariano (ret), 1st Filipino American woman to reach rank of admiral in the U.S. Navy and serve as physician for three sitting U.S. presidents
• Leo Mercado, highest Filipino American ranking officer in the Marine Corps and former special assistant to President Bill Clinton
• Roderick McLeod, 1st Filipino enlisted in the U.S. Air Force
• Lloyd LaCuesta, only Filipino American former U.S. Army broadcast specialist produced “Newsbeat Korea”
• Celestino Almeda, former WWII veteran
• Ray Cabacar, former Navy enlisted Mess Specialist
• Lt. Hannah Castillo, Navy Nurse Corps
• Jan Herman, U.S. Navy Historian

  Screening Information

October 2009 Screening:
Filipino Heritage Month, Smithsonian Institution, Asia Pacific American Programs (TBA)

October 2008 Screening:
Filipino Film Night, screened by the Filipino Young Professionals, George Washington University

May 2008 Screening:

• Screening in cooperation with the San Francisco Consulate of the Philippines and in partnership with the American Coalition of Filipino Veterans (ACFV) and the National Alliance for Filipino Equity (NAFVE), War Memorial Building, San Francisco, CA
• National Naval Medical Center, Asian Pacific Heritage Celebration, Bethesda, MD

April 2008 Screening:
In commemoration of Day of Valor: Honoring All Our Soldiers, Past and Present, an event to support the National Alliance for the Filipino Veterans Equity and the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans, screened at the Equality Forum - Human Rights Campaign, Washington, DC

May 2007: Initial Screening
Asian Pacific Heritage Celebration, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Dept of the Navy, Washington, DC
Reviewed by: Smithsonian Institution, Asian Pacific American Program Department of Veterans Affairs

  About the Producer, Margaret Lacson-Ecarma

Margaret Lacson-Ecarma is an independent writer and news documentary producer. With over 20 years in investigative reporting, she has been involved in covering both US-Philippine bilateral relations and the Filipino-American community for various news agencies. Among them were for The Philippine News, Voice of America, Philippine Daily Inquirer and for KMTP TV32 in San Francisco, where she owned and produced Filipino-American Report, the first daily weeknight 30-minute Tagalog newscast in the United States. Later, she was appointed to serve in the Clinton administration handling national video news releases for the U.S. Department of Energy and moved on to managing the production of audio and visual education and training materials for Navy medicine. Since then, she has been in private media and communications consulting working on a variety of projects and documentaries under MRC3 Media based in Arlington, VA.