Official HMH-772 Hustlers Flightline Qual Patches — The Reserve Squadron That Kept Showing Up When It Mattered Most
Civilian jobs on Monday, CH-53Es on the weekend, and combat deployments whenever the active component needed them.
Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772 (HMH-772) — the 'Hustlers' — is one of the most distinguished reserve squadrons in the United States Marine Corps, flying the CH-53E Super Stallion out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, under Marine Aircraft Group 49, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing. Activated on April 15, 1958, as Helicopter Transport Squadron 772 (HMR-772) at NAS Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, the Hustlers have answered every call the Marine Corps has made for over six decades. HMM-772 was the last squadron to operate the UH-34D helicopter in 1971 before transitioning to the CH-53A Sea Stallion. In January 1986, the squadron was tasked to support the search and rescue effort following the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. When mobilized for Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the Hustlers flew fourteen CH-53A aircraft across the country, transitioned to the CH-53D in Okinawa, embarked aboard USS Midway, and supported Operation Fiery Vigil — the evacuation of personnel from the Philippines after Mount Pinatubo erupted — and Operation Sea Angel, the humanitarian relief operations in Bangladesh. After 9/11, the Hustlers were mobilized again in January 2002 and became the first reserve squadron to receive the Special Operations Capable designation while working up with the 24th MEU. They provided heavy-lift support in Kosovo, Djibouti with Combined Joint Task Force — Horn of Africa, and Operation Iraqi Freedom with Task Force Tarawa. In 2009, HMH-772 was mobilized for Afghanistan, broke down five CH-53Es for air transport to theater, moved to Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province, and took part in Operation Khanjar — the largest movement of Marines since Vietnam. The Hustlers became the first unit to airlift the Marine Corps M777A2 howitzer in combat, lifting the artillery pieces from Firebase Fiddler's Green to FOB Golestan. This flightline qualification patch represents earning your place alongside reserve Marines who have proven time and again that when the call comes, the Hustlers show up.
Perfect For: HMH-772 Hustlers Marines past and present, 4th MAW and MAG-49 reservists, CH-53E Super Stallion and legacy CH-53 crew members, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst personnel, and anyone who has served in the Marine Corps Reserve and deployed when it counted.
