Philippine Defense Medal

Infobox Military Award
name=Philippine Defense Medal


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awarded_by=Republic of the Philippines
type=Medal
eligibility=participation in the defense of the Philippine Islands between December 8, 1941 and June 15, 1942
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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 authorized in July, 1945.

The Philippine Defense Medal is presented to any service member, of either the Philippine military or an allied armed force, which participated in the defense of the Philippine Islands between December 8, 1941 and June 15, 1942. Those eligible must have served thirty or more days of duty or must have been engaged in a combat operation for which the time requirement is waived.

The Philippine Defense Medal was commonly bestowed to foreign militaries and was one of the most widely awarded foreign medals to the United States Armed Forces. This is due in part to the large amount of United States troops which defended the Philippines at Bataan and would later be captured and forced to endure the Bataan Death March.

Similar Philippine decorations include the Philippine Liberation Medal and the Philippine Independence Medal. The United States equivalent to the Philippine Defense Medal was known as the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal.