Last month in this series we talked about the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal of World War II, and this month we are discussing its equivalent in the Pacific theater.

History & Service Requirements

The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9265 dated 6 November 1942, and subsequently amended by President Harry S. Truman’s Executive Order 9706 dated 15 March 1946, to be awarded to members of the Armed Forces who served in the Asiatic-Pacific theater between 7 December 1941 and 2 March 1946. 

Service criteria for the Army and Army Air Forces included that the service member qualified under any of the following conditions: 1) Permanent Assignment, 2) Passenger status or Temporary Duty assignment for either 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days, or 3) Participation in active combat against the enemy. 

Service criteria for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard included that service members qualified under any of the following conditions: 1) Sea Duty for 30 days, 2) Shore Duty for 30 days, 3) Patrols for 30 days, 4) Combat, 5) Hazardous Duty, 6) Passengers (only if the individual or ship was attacked or engaged in combat with the enemy). 7) Temporary Duty (prior to 1 July 1945) for 30 consecutive days or engagement in combat. After 1 July 1945 no individual on temporary duty was eligible for the campaign medal unless specified by the Area Commander 

The ribbon design was approved by the Secretary of War in November 1942. The background of the ribbons was to be yellow with red and white stripes on the left and right sides to represent Japan. The center blue, white, and red stripes were taken from the American Defense Service Medal to represent the continued defense of the United States after Pearl Harbor.

The obverse of the medal was designed by Thomas Hudson Jones. In the foreground it showed troops landing on an island or atoll among palm trees (some broken) with an aircraft carrier, battleship, submarine, and planes in the background and the words “Asiatic Pacific Campaign” across the top. The reverse of the medal was designed by A. A. Weinman and was the same design as used on the European-African-Middle Eastern and American Campaign Medals which depicted a bald eagle in the center, the dates of American participation in the war, “1941-1945,” to the left of the eagle, and “United States of America” to the right. 

One bronze service star was affixed for participation in each constituent official campaign. An arrowhead device was affixed for participation in a combat parachute jump, helicopter assault landing, combat glider landing, or amphibious assault landing. 

Army Campaigns of the Asiatic-Pacific Theater

Philippine Island	7 December 1941 – 10 May 1942	Eastern Mandates	7 December 1943/31 January 1944 – 14 June 1944
Burma, 1942	7 December 1941 – 26 May 1942	Bismarck Archipelago	15 December 1943 – 27 November 1944
Central Pacific	7 December 1941 – 6 December 1943	Western Pacific	17 April 1944/15 June 1944 – 2 September 1945
East Indies	1 January – 22 July 1942	Leyte	17 October 1944 – 1 July 1945
India-Burma	2 April 1942 – 28 January 1945	Luzon	15 December 1944 – 4 July 1945
Air Offensive, Japan	17 April 1942 – 2 September 1945	Central Burma	29 January – 15 July 1945
Aleutian Islands	3 June 1942 – 24 August 1943	Southern Philippines	27 February – 4 July 1945
China Defensive	4 July 1942 – 4 May 1945	Ryukyus	26 March  -2 July 1945
Papua	23 July 1942 – 23 January 1943	China Offensive	5 May – 2 September 1945
Guadalcanal	7 August 1942 – 21 February 1943	Anti-submarine*	7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945
New Guinea	24 January 1943 – 31 December 1944	Ground Combat*	7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945
Northern Solomons	22 February 1943 – 21 November 1944	Air Combat*	7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945

Navy Campaigns of the Asiatic-Pacific Theater

Pearl Harbor-Midway	7 December 1941	Pacific Raids (1943)	August – October 1943
Wake Island	8-23 December 1941	Treasury-Bougainville Operation	27 October – 15 December 1943
Philippine Islands Operation	8 December 1941 – 6 May 1942	Gilbert Islands Operation	13 November – 8 December 1943
Netherlands East Indies Engagements	23 January – 7 February 1942	Marshall Islands Operation	26 November 1943 – 2 March 1944
Pacific Raids (1942)	February – March 1942	Asiatic-Pacific Raids (1944)	February – October 1944
Coral Sea	4-8 May 1942	Western New Guinea Operation	21 April 1944 – 9 January 1945
Midway	3-6 June 1942	Marianas Operation	10 June – 27 August 1944
Guadalcanal-Tulagi Landings (First Savo)	7-9 August 1942	Western Caroline Islands Operation	August – September 1944
Guadalcanal – Capture & Defense	10 August 1942 – 8 February 1943	Leyte Operation	October – December 1944
Makin Raid	17-18 August 1942	Luzon Operation	12 December 1944 – 1 April 1945
Eastern Solomons (Stewart Island)	23-25 August 1942	Iwo Jima Operation	15 February – 16 March 1945
Buin-Faisi-Tonolai Raid	5 October 1942	Okinawa Gunto Operation	17 March  – 30 June 1945
Cape Esperance (Second Savo)	11-12 October 1942	Third Flee Operations Against Japan	10 July – 15 August 1945
Santa Cruz Islands	26 October 1942	Kurile Islands Operation	1 February 1944 – 11 August 1945
Guadalcanal (Third Savo)	12-15 November 1942	Borneo Operations	27 April – 20 July 1945
Tassafaronga (Fourth Savo)	30 November  – 1 December 1942	Tinian – Capture & Occupation	24 July – 1 August 1945
Eastern New Guinea Operation	17 December 1942 – 24 July 1944	Southern Philippines – Consolidation	28 February – 20 July 1945
Rennel Island	29-30 January 1944	Hollandia Operation	21 April – 1 June 1944
Solomon Islands – Consolidation	8 February 1943 – 15 March 1945	Manila Bay-Bicol Operations	29 January – 16 April 1945
Aleutians Operation	26 March – 2 June 1943	Escort, Anti-Submarine, Armed Guard & Special Operations	August 1942 – 2 March 1946
New Georgia Group Operation	20 June – 16 October 1943	Submarine War Patrols (Pacific)	7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945
Bismarck Archipelago Operation	25 June 1943 – 1 May 1944

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We have provided a downloadable resource PDF of the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal available for personal use.

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Sources

• Naval History and Heritage Command, Naval History and Heritage Command, “World War II – Asiatic-Pacific Theater, 1941-1946.”
• United States, Executive Office of the President [Franklin D. Roosevelt]. Executive Order 9265:  American, European-African-Middle Eastern and Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medals. 6 November 1942. Federal Register, vol. 7, no. 9106.
• United States, Executive Office of the President [Harry S. Truman]. Executive Order 9706:  Amending Executive Order 9265 of November 6, 1942, Establishing the American, European-African-Middle Eastern and Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medals, 15 March 1946. Federal Register, vol. 11, no. 2811.
• United States Army, TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, “U. S. Army Service, Campaign Medals and Foreign Awards Information.”
• United States Army Center of Military History, Center of Military History, “World War II – Asiatic-Pacific Theater Campaigns.”
• United States Navy, “Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual,” NavPers 15,790 (Rev. 1953).