Philippine Liberation Medal
Encyclopedia
The Philippine Liberation Medal is a military award of the Republic of the Philippines which was created by an order of Commonwealth Army of the Philippines Headquarters on December 20, 1944. The award was presented to any service member, of both Philippine Commonwealth and allied militaries, who participated in the liberation of the Philippine Islands between the dates of October 17, 1944 and September 2, 1945

The Philippine Liberation Medal is intended to recognize military service in the last days of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 when the military of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 was driven from the Philippines and then to eventually surrender in September 1945. To be awarded the medal, a service member must have served in the Philippines for at least thirty days during the eligible time period, or must have participated in one of the following actions:
  • Participation in the initial landing operation of Leyte
    Battle of Leyte
    The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American and Filipino guerrilla forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by...

     and adjoining islands from October 7 to October 20, 1944
  • Participation in any engagement against hostile Japanese forces during the Philippine Liberation Campaign of October 17, 1944 to September 2, 1945


Personnel who are awarded the medal for participation in the above mentioned operations are authorized a service star
Service star
A service star, also referred to as a battle star, campaign star, or engagement star, is an attachment to a United States military decoration which denotes participation in military campaigns or multiple bestowals of the same award. Service stars are typically issued for campaign medals, service...

 to the Philippine Liberation Medal. Personnel who earned the medal for general service during the eligible time period are awarded the medal without device.

Members of the United States Armed Forces entitled to the Philippine Liberation Medal were usually also eligible to receive the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was...

, often with a service star, for participation in the freeing of the Philippines.

Upon its creation, the Philippine Liberation Medal was awarded as the Philippine Liberation Ribbon and it was not until July 1945 that a full-sized medal had been established. The Philippine Liberation Medal was one of the most commonly bestowed awards to allied militaries, awarded primarily to the forces of the Philippine Commonwealth
Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force...

, United States armed forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...

 and the military of the British Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...

.

In the UK in 2003, 3 ex-servicemen: Glyndwr Thomas Evan Collins, who fought in the World War II liberation of the Philippines; Mr Constantine Shiels and Mr Frank Broomhead, were awarded with the special honour by the Filipino ambassador His Excellency Mr Edgardo B Espiritu, under General Orders Number 1090.

Other common Philippine military awards of the Second World War include the Philippine Independence Medal
Philippine Independence Medal
The Philippine Independence Medal is a military decoration of the Republic of the Philippines which was created by order of the Philippine Army Headquarters on July 3, 1946...

 and the Philippine Defense Medal
Philippine Defense Medal
The Philippine Defense Medal is a decoration of the Republic of the Philippines which is awarded to commemorate the initial resistance against Japanese invasion between the dates of December 1941 and June 1942.The decoration was first created as ribbon in December, 1944, and a full-sized medal was...

.
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