Criteria The Philippine Presidential Unit Citation is a unit decoration of the Republic of the Philippines. It has been awarded to certain units of the United States military for actions both during and subseq... The Philippine Presidential Unit Citation is a unit decoration of the Republic of the Philippines. It has been awarded to certain units of the United States military for actions both during and subsequent to the Second World War. MoreHide
Criteria The Purple Heart may be awarded to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the Armed Forces, has been wounded, kill... The Purple Heart may be awarded to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the Armed Forces, has been wounded, killed, or who has died or may die of wounds received in armed combat or as a result of an act of international terrorism. MoreHide
Criteria The Presidential Unit Citation may be awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and cobelligerent nations for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy occurring on or aft... The Presidential Unit Citation may be awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and cobelligerent nations for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy occurring on or after December 7, 1941. MoreHide
Criteria The Prisoner of War Medal commemorates military service as a prisoner of war. It is awarded to any member of the Armed Forces who, since April 5, 1917, has been or shall be taken prisoner or held capt... The Prisoner of War Medal commemorates military service as a prisoner of war. It is awarded to any member of the Armed Forces who, since April 5, 1917, has been or shall be taken prisoner or held captive while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly forces engaged in armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States in not a belligerent party. MoreHide
Criteria The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following condi... The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following conditions: On permanent assignment within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; or, For service in a passenger status or on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service in active combat in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat. MoreHide
Criteria The Philippine Defense Medal was awarded for service in the defense of the Philippines from December 8, 1941 to June 15, 1942, under either of the following conditions: Participation in any engagement... The Philippine Defense Medal was awarded for service in the defense of the Philippines from December 8, 1941 to June 15, 1942, under either of the following conditions: Participation in any engagement against the enemy in Philippine territory, waters, or in the air over the Philippines or Philippine waters; or, Assigned or stationed in Philippine territory or waters for not less than thirty days during the authorizing period. MoreHide
Description The Bataan Death March (Filipino: Martsa ng Kamatayan sa Bataan), which began on April 9, 1942, was the forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of 60,000–80,000 Filipino and American prisonersThe Bataan Death March (Filipino: Martsa ng Kamatayan sa Bataan), which began on April 9, 1942, was the forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of 60,000–80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II. All told, approximately 2,500–10,000 Filipino and 100–650 American prisoners of war died before they could reach their destination at Camp O'Donnell. The reported death tolls vary, especially amongst Filipino POWs, because historians cannot determine how many prisoners blended in with the civilian population and escaped. The march went from Mariveles, Bataan, to San Fernando, Pampanga. From San Fernando, survivors were loaded to a box train and were brought to Camp O'Donnell in Capas, Tarlac.
The 128 km (80 mi) march was characterized by wide-ranging physical abuse and murder, and resulted in very high fatalities inflicted upon prisoners and civilians alike by the Japanese Army. It was later judged by an Allied military commission to be a Japanese war crime.... More
Description On December 22, Japanese forces landed at Lingayen Gulf on Luzon. Unable to halt the Japanese advance, General Douglas MacArthur ordered US and Filipino forces to retreat to defensive positions on BatOn December 22, Japanese forces landed at Lingayen Gulf on Luzon. Unable to halt the Japanese advance, General Douglas MacArthur ordered US and Filipino forces to retreat to defensive positions on Bataan. To oversee operations, MacArthur shifted his headquarters to the Malinta Tunnel on Corregidor. For this, he was derisively nicknamed "Dugout Doug" by the troops fighting on Bataan. Corregidor first came under attack on December 29 when Japanese aircraft began a bombing campaign against the island. Lasting for several days, these raids destroyed many of the building on the island.
While fighting raged on Bataan, the defenders of Corregidor, consisting largely of Colonel Samuel L. Howard's 4th Marines and elements of several other units, endured siege conditions as food supplies slowly dwindled. Efforts to re-supply Corregidor largely failed as ships were intercepted by the Japanese. Prior to its fall, only one vessel successfully reached the island with provisions. As the situation on Bataan deteriorated, MacArthur received orders from President Franklin Roosevelt to leave the Philippines and escape to Australia. Initially refusing, he was convinced by his chief of staff to go.
Departing on the night of March 12, 1942, he turned over command in the Philippines to Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright. As the position on Bataan neared collapse, around 1,200 men were shifted to Corregidor from the peninsula. With no alternatives remaining, Major General Edward King was forced to surrender Bataan on April 9. Having secured Bataan, Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma turned his attention to capturing Corregidor and eliminating enemy resistance around Manila. On April 28, Major General Kizon Mikami's 22nd Air Brigade began an aerial offensive against the island.
Fall of Corregidor:
Shifting artillery to the southern part of Bataan, Homma began a relentless bombardment of the island on May 1. This continued until May 5 when Japanese troops under Major General Kureo Tanaguchi boarded landing craft to assault Corregidor. Just before midnight, an intense artillery barrage hammered the area between North and Cavalry Points near the island's tail. Storming ashore, the initial wave of Japanese infantry met fierce resistance and was hampered by oil which coated Corregidor's beaches. Gaining a foothold, they made effective use of Type 89 grenade dischargers known as "knee mortars."
Fighting heavy currents, the second Japanese attack attempted to land further east. Hit hard as they came ashore, the assault was largely repulsed by the 4th Marines and the survivors shifted west to join with the first wave. Struggling inland, the Japanese began to make some gains and by 1:30 AM on May 6 had captured Battery Denver. Becoming a focal point of the battle, the 4th Marines quickly moved to recover the battery. Heavy fighting ensued which saw the Japanese slowly overwhelm the Marines as reinforcements arrived from the mainland.
With the situation desperate, Howard committed his reserves around 4:00 AM. Moving forward, approximately 500 Marines were slowed by Japanese snipers which had infiltrated through the lines. Though suffering from ammunition shortages, the Japanese took advantage of their superior numbers and continued to press the defenders. Around 9:30 AM, the Japanese succeeded in landing three tanks on the island. These proved key in driving the defenders back to trenches near the entrance to the Malinta Tunnel. With over 1,000 helpless wounded in the Tunnel's hospital, Wainwright began to contemplate surrender.
Aftermath of Corregidor:
Meeting with his commanders, Wainwright saw no other option but to capitulate. Radioing Roosevelt, Wainwright stated, "There is a limit of human endurance, and that point has long been passed." While Howard burned the 4th Marines' colors to prevent capture, Wainwright sent emissaries to discuss terms with Homma. Though Wainwright only wished to surrender the men on Corregidor, Homma insisted that he surrender all remaining US and Filipino forces in the Philippines. Concerned about those US forces that had already been captured as well as those on Corregidor, Wainwright saw little choice but comply with this order. As a result, large formations such as Major General William Sharp's Visayan-Mindanao Force were forced to surrender without having played a role in the campaign.
Though Sharp complied with the surrender order, many of his men continued to battle the Japanese as guerillas. The fighting for Corregidor saw Wainwright lose around 800 killed, 1,000 wounded, and 11,000 captured. Japanese losses numbered 900 killed and 1,200 wounded. While Wainwright was imprisoned in Formosa and Manchuria for the remainder of the war, his men were taken to prison camps around the Philippines as well as used for slave labor in other parts of the Japanese Empire. Corregidor remained under Japanese control until Allied forces liberated the island in February 1945.... More
Description (Philippine Islands Campaign 7 Dec 1941 to 10 May 1942) A few hours after the raid on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Japanese aircraft attacked the Philippines. Three days later Japanese troops land(Philippine Islands Campaign 7 Dec 1941 to 10 May 1942) A few hours after the raid on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Japanese aircraft attacked the Philippines. Three days later Japanese troops landed on Luzon. America’s meager air power in the islands was soon destroyed. Unable to obtain reinforcements and supplies, MacArthur could do nothing more than fight a delaying action. Between 16 and 18 December the few bombing planes that remained were evacuated, by their crews, to Australia, where US air power in the Far East was to be concentrated. Other members of the air units took up arms and fought as infantrymen in the battle that ended, at Bataan and Corregidor, with the loss of the Philippines in May 1942.... More
Criteria The American Campaign Medal was awarded for For thirty days service outside the Continental United States but within the American Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946; or,... The American Campaign Medal was awarded for For thirty days service outside the Continental United States but within the American Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946; or, an aggregate service of one year within the Continental United States during the same period under the following circumstances: On permanent assignment outside the continental limits of the United States; or, On permanent assignment as a member of a crew of a vessel sailing ocean waters for a period of 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service outside the continental limits of the United States in a passenger status or on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 non consecutive days; or, For service in active combat against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat; or, For service within the continental limits of the United States for an aggregate period of one year. MoreHide
Criteria The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following condi... The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following conditions: On permanent assignment within the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; or, For service in a passenger status or on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service in active combat in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat. MoreHide
Criteria a. The ADSM was established by EO 8808, announced in War Department Bulletin 17, 1941. It is awarded for service between 8 September 1939 and 7 December 1941 under orders to active duty for a period o... a. The ADSM was established by EO 8808, announced in War Department Bulletin 17, 1941. It is awarded for service between 8 September 1939 and 7 December 1941 under orders to active duty for a period of 12 months or longer.
b. A clasp, with the inscription "Foreign Service", is worn on the ADSM to denote service outside the continental limits of the United States, including service in Alaska, as a member of a crew of a vessel sailing ocean waters, flights over ocean waters, or as an assigned member of an organization stationed outside the continental limits of the United States. Possession of a clasp is denoted by the wearing of a bronze service star on the service ribbon. MoreHide
