There were twenty one official Army campaigns of the Pacific Theater [48 Navy/Marine campaigns], denoted on the service medal by service stars. The arrowhead device is authorized for those campaigns which involved amphibious assaults. The Fleet Marine Force combat operation insignia is also authorized for certain sailors. The flag colors of Japan and the United States are visible in the ribbon.
Authorized Navy campaigns for the Pacific Theater are as follows:
Pearl Harbor--Midway 7 Dec 41
Wake Island (Johnston Island 15-22 Dec 41) 8-23 Dec 41
Philippine Islands Operation 8 Dec 41-6 May 42
Netherlands East Indies engagements 23 Jan-27 Feb 42
Pacific Specified Raids—1942 1 Feb 42-10 Mar 42
Coral Sea 4-8 May 42
Midway 3-6 Jun 42
Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings (including First Savo) 7-9 Aug 42
Capture and defense of Guadalcanal 10 Aug 42-8 Feb 43
Makin Raid 17-18 Aug 42
Eastern Solomons (Stewart Island) 23-25 Aug 42
Buin-Faisi-Tonolai raid 5 Oct 42
Cape Esperance (Second Savo) 11-12 Oct 42
Santa Cruz Islands 26 Oct 42
Guadalcanal (Third Savo) 12-15 Nov 42
Tassafaronga (Fourth Savo) 30 Nov-1 Dec 42
Eastern New Guinea operation 17 Dec 42-24 Jul 44
Rennel Island 29-30 Jan 43
Consolidation of Solomon Islands 8 Feb 43-15 Mar 45
Aleutians operation 26 Mar-2 Jun 43
New Georgia Group operation 20 Jun-16 Oct 43
Bismarck Archipelago operation 25 Jun 43-1 May 44
Pacific Specified Raids—1943 31 Aug 43-6 Oct 43
Treasury-Bougainville operation 27 Oct-15 Dec 43
Gilbert Islands operation 13 Nov-8 Dec 43
Marshall Islands operation 26 Nov 43-2 Mar 44
Asiatic-Pacific Specified Raids—1944 16 Feb 44-9 Oct 44
Western New Guinea operations 21 Apr 44-9 Jan 45
Marianas operation 10 Jun-27 Aug 44
Western Caroline Islands operation 31 Aug-14 Oct 44
Leyte operation 10 Oct-29 Nov 44
Luzon operation 12 Dec 44-1 Apr 45
Iwo Jima operation 15 Feb-16 Mar 45
Okinawa Gunto operation 17 Mar-30 Jun 45
3d Fleet operations against Japan 10 Jul-15 Aug 45
Kurile Islands operation 1 Feb 44-11 Aug 45
Borneo operations 27 Apr-20 Jul 45
Tinian capture and occupation 24 Jul-1 Aug 44
Consolidation and capture of Southern Philippines 28 Feb-20 Jul 45
Hollandia operation (Aitape Humbolt Bay-Tanahmerah Bay) 21 Apr-1 Jun 44
Manila Bay-Bicol operations 29 Jan-16 Apr 45
U.S.S. Navajo--Salvage operations 8 Aug 42-3 Feb 43
Action off Vanikoro 17-21 Jul 43
Naval Group China (6 months duty required) 19 Feb 43-4 May 45
Task Group 30.4 22 May-15 Jun 44
Task Group 12.2 5 Jul-9 Aug 44
Specified Minesweeping Operations Pacific 23 Jun 45-2 Mar 46
Submarine War Patrols (Pacific – 1 star for participation in each war patrol) 7 Dec 41-2 Sep 45
Other campaigns
For members of the military who did not receive campaign credit, but still served on active duty in the Pacific Theater, the following “blanket” campaigns are authorized for which the medal is awarded without service stars.