For decades now, thousands of Filipino veterans ordered to fight alongside U.S. soldiers in World War II have been waiting — waiting for the government to make good on its promise. Waiting, as their numbers dwindle with time.

These veterans, ordered to join U.S. forces just prior to the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, were promised the same benefits as their American counterparts. Of the roughly 200,000 Filipinos who fought in the U.S. Army during the war, only 20,000 remain, about 2,000 in Hawai'i. Many suffered debilitating injuries, enduring some of the deadliest battles in the Pacific.

Months after the war ended in 1946, Congress stripped them of their veterans benefits. Since then, progress has been slow: In 1990, U.S. citizenship was offered to those veterans living in the United States; in 2000, a law was passed allowing them to be buried in military cemeteries; and in 2003 some were given partial health benefits.

Congress now has the opportunity to make things right. Both the House and the Senate veterans' affairs committees have cleared bills to give these veterans their pensions. It's time for a floor vote.

Critics argue that the benefits bill is overly generous in providing $300 monthly pensions to veterans living in the Philippines, failing to take into account the purchasing power in that country.

That wrongheaded approach fails to recognize that these men who put their lives on the line were ordered into service by the United States. And they were promised equal benefits. Now in their 80s and 90s, their numbers are dwindling.

Thankfully, some in Congress, including Hawai'i's Sen. Daniel Akaka, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and a sponsor of the benefits bill, have been fighting to set things right.

"I firmly believe that granting these brave veterans who fought under U.S. command the benefits they so richly deserve is our duty," Akaka said.

The senator is right.

These veterans have waited long enough. Congress must give them their benefits — and their dignity. It's the right thing to do.