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About 200 men from East Kent received their Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal during an emotional ceremony in Folkestone.
Colonel Tajri Alwi, from the Malaysian High Commission in London, individually thanked the men on behalf of his country's King and people before giving them their awards.
Rab Perry, 66, from Hythe, was a soldier in the King's Own Scottish Borderers regiment, stationed in Singapore, Malaya and Borneo.
He said the two-hour event at the East Cliff Pavilion in Folkestone was a great success. "Every time someone's name was shouted out they were applauded."
Each veteran received a full-sized medal, a miniature and a ribbon on a bar. Medals were also given to the families of dead servicemen.
However, a ruling by the Government means the men are not permitted to wear the medals at official functions. Ministers say that non-British medals are not allowed for service that took place so long ago and that many of the men already have British clasps to wear.