Elsie Seetoo was 25-years-old when she joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in China to help the American forces in WWII.
Last September, Seetoo celebrated her 100th birthday.
In late January, the centenarian was one of five Chinese-American WWII veterans to be awarded with the Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony held at the Department of Veteran Affairs in Washington D.C on Jan. 29.
“Your service to our nation … has been most amazing and wonderful, and the honor due to you now through the Congressional Gold Medal is well overdue,” said Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos at the ceremony.
The honorees were the first Chinese-American veterans to be formally recognized with the highest civilian honor of the United States as part of an effort to honor nearly 20,000 Chinese-Americans who served for the U.S. military in WWII.
Showing America’s Gratitude
Seetoo was the oldest and highest-ranked veteran to be honored at the ceremony.
Born in California, Seetoo and her family moved back to Xinhui in China’s southern Guangdong province when she was a teenager.
After high-school, Seetoo trained to become a nurse in Hong Kong. In 1942, she walked 700 miles from Hong Kong to the city of Guiyang in southwest China to join the Chinese Red Cross Medical Relief Corps, where she worked in the operating room before becoming a medical trainer.
In 1944, she joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps as a first lieutenant. She became a member of the Air Service Command to the 14th Air Force, successor to the famed “Flying Tigers,” commanded by Major General Claire Chennault. She was also assigned to hospitals in the cities of Kunming, Chengdu, and Shanghai.
Seetee returned to the United States after the war and settled in Washington D.C. after being discharged from the Army. With her husband Joseph Yuen, they raised four children, seven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.
James Eng, Harry Jung, Henry Lee, and Robert Lee were also honorees at the ceremony, and were recognized by Veteran’s Affairs Acting Deputy Secretary James Byrne, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, and Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao on behalf of the White House for their service.
“They are heroic reminders that Asian-Americans are contributing to every part of mainstream America,” said Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao.
“Today is a little step in showing America’s gratitude for all that you have done for us.”
James Eng, 95, was also recognized at the ceremony. He was a petty officer in the U.S. Navy and was stationed in San Diego Naval Station, controlling the base’s radio station during the war. For the next three decades, Eng continued his service to the U.S. government, working for organizations including the Air Force, Army, and NASA.
Chinese-American Contribution
Nearly one in five Chinese-Americans served in WWII, despite the fact that many faced discrimination, in part as a result of the Chinese Exclusion Act being in place.
Up until last December, Chinese-Americans were the only minority group not recognized with a Congressional Gold Medal for their service during WWII.
The honorees at the ceremony will receive their Congressional Gold members in October.