President Barack Obama without ceremony this week signed into law a measure regarded largely as decades overdue, collectively giving more than 260,000 Filipino and Filipino-American World War II veterans the nation’s highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal.

Of the 300 Hawaii Filipino-American World War II veterans, only seven — now in their 90s — survive.

One of them, Domingo Los Banos, 91, was pleased but somewhat resigned over the time and effort it took for the moment to come to fruition. “They’re making improvements now,” Los Banos said Thursday. “It took 70 years to recognize what these veterans did.”

Los Banos served in the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment, and was 18 or 19 when he joined the Army.

Born in Wahiawa and raised on Kauai, he thanked Hawaii’s congressional leaders for continuing the efforts initiated by the late Sens. Spark Matsunaga and Daniel Inouye, and retired U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka.

Obama signed the bill into law Wednesday. He is scheduled to travel to Honolulu today for his last Hawaii holiday vacation as president.

“By signing our bill into law, President Obama recognized these veterans’ courage and perseverance, both during the war and in the decades of battles for benefits that followed,” said U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono in a news release.

“This day is only possible thanks to the commitment of veterans, families and advocates in Hawaii and across the country who worked tirelessly to see this effort through Congress,” Hirono said. “While this recognition is long-overdue, the Congressional Gold Medal is a fitting tribute to the sacrifice that these veterans made for our country.”

The head of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project, son of a World War II veteran, said he was also thankful.

“With deep gratitude, our nation has now come to fully recognize the service and sacrifice of our brave heroes who fought valiantly under the American flag,” said. retired Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, a 1968 Leilehua High School graduate.

But Taguba said he had hoped for a signing ceremony so that Filipino World War II veterans could witness the historic moment — just as similar minority groups receiving the honor have in the past.

“It’s really sad. It was very disappointing and literally disheartening,” said Taguba, noting Filipino veterans have asked only to be respected and to have their honor restored.

In a telephone interview from Virginia, he said he hopes Obama will have an opportunity to hold a ceremony to personally recognize surviving Filipino World War II veterans in Washington before his terms ends, if not sometime during his vacation in Hawaii.

Hirono and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard had introduced companion bills and gained unanimous support from Congress after pushing for the recognition for Filipino soldiers.

The veterans were the first line of defense in the Pacific against Japan after the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack. Taguba said plans are underway to prepare for the Congressional Gold Medal to be minted. The actual medal will be presented to the Smithsonian Institution and displayed in major cities.

THE U.S. MINT will produce bronze replicas of the medal for veterans and surviving family members. Taguba said fundraising efforts are being planned to help cover the cost of the bronze replicas.

“These loyal and courageous soldiers, suffered, fought, with many giving up their lives alongside their American counterparts throughout the war,” Gabbard said.

“Though less than 18,000 of our Filipino WWII veterans are still alive today, this recognition is a testament to each and every one of our Filipino WWII veterans who earned and deserve their place amongst our greatest generation,” she said in the release.

Over the past decade, Congress bestowed eligibility of the medal to other minority military units, including the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006; Navajo Code Talkers in 2008; Women Air Force Service Pilots in 2009; Japanese-American soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and the Military Intelligence Service, in 2010; Montford Point Marines, the first African-­Americans to serve in the Marine Corps, in 2011; and the 65th Infantry Regiment, known as the Borinqueneers, the only Hispanic military unit in the Korean War, with a majority of the soldiers from Puerto Rico, in 2014.

THE CONGRESSIONAL Gold Medal recognizes more than 260,000 Filipino and Filipino-American soldiers who fought alongside the United States in World War II. Today there are about 15,000 to 18,000 surviving veterans in the U.S. and the Philippines.

Veterans were promised health and pension benefits after they volunteered to fight, but Congress rescinded that promise after the war. Over the past decades, Hawaii’s congressional leaders have been pushing to restore benefits. In 2007 veterans in the Philippines received a lump sum payment of $9,000, and veterans in the U.S. received $15,000.

Jose Saromines, 92, who also served in the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment, is another of Hawaii’s survivors.

“The Filipino soldiers deserve to be recognized,” said Saromines, who was born on Maui. He was drafted into the Army when he was 20 and served 18 months in the Philippines.

Retired Army Col. Ben Acohido, one of 11 regional coordinator of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project who covers Hawaii, Alaska and American Samoa, said, “I’m elated to hear that the president signed it.”

The national group will conduct a census of Filipino veterans in the U.S. and Philippines who are eligible for the medal.