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