As the United States entered World War II in 1941, thousands of Filipinos requested to enlist in the US military even though they were classified under law as “resident aliens,” and therefore unable to fight. US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt allowed for these men to be called up for service. Thus, the United States’ First Filipino Infantry Regiment formed. Members of this historic group wore a yellow and black insignia on their shoulder sleeves. This insignia helped military units easily identify each other on the ground, but it also made them vulnerable to being targeted by the opposition.

Moreover, designs, color, and symbols on insignia often tell a story about the unit that wears the item, associating fighters with a particular time, place, a person, or even a mythic animal. What story of the First Filipino Infantry Regiment does this insignia tell? In this module, we will learn the meaning behind the insignia worn by Filipino American soldiers during World War II, and how Filipinos in the Philippines and the US experienced ideas of home and belonging.