LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Gregg Baltazar Timbol has never met his grandfather, but he has spent more than half of his life fighting for him.

Corporal Francisco Ruiz Baltazar was a member of the Philippine Scouts.

When World War II broke out, the Philippines was a U.S. colony, and their soldiers fought as American soldiers. They were promised U.S. citizenship at the end of the war.

Those who survived were granted citizenship, but those who were killed never got that chance.

Corporal Baltazar was killed in action in 1942 while fighting Japan, and his body was never recovered.

Growing up, Timbol would visit his grandfather’s gravestone in Manila.

“My question is … this is Manila American Cemetery. They’re not citizens, but why? Why are they not citizens?”

Timbol reached out to the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines in 1999 and began a 26-year quest to right this wrong. He has lobbied dozens of members of Congress and helped introduce four bills.

Only one made it out of committee, which wound up passing the House, but failed in the Senate.

“I thought it was easy, but it’s not,” said Timbol. “Eighty-three years long waiting. We haven’t felt the victories.”

Congresswoman Judy Chu co-sponsored the last bill and plans to co-sponsor the next attempt, but she needs help.

“Those soldiers were promised that they would get veterans benefits,” she said. “That promise was never fulfilled, but the very least you could do for somebody who died for our country during World War II is to give them hostess citizenship so that their name can be honored.”

Timbol and his mother are now pushing their plea up the chain of command. Timbol became U.S. citizen in 2013 and his mother became one in 2019.

“President Trump, help us,” he said. “They fought for the country. That’s the essence, their service, their sacrifice.Tthey earned it through their blood. That’s why I’m appealing to the president. Please help us.”

The U.S. government has recognized the service of these soldiers. In fact, Baltazar now has a gravestone at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, which makes it so puzzling why they’re still not citizens.

More than 5,000 members of the Philippine Scouts died during World War II, and more than 250,000 Filipino soldiers were killed – all promised citizenship.

If passed, Timbol’s bill would grant it to all of them.