Official VMM-265 (REIN) MEU ACE Patch - Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 Reinforced, Aviation Combat Element of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, Embroidered Patch.
Dragons forward, Indo-Pacific ready, and always the air element that moves the mission when the 31st MEU answers the call.
VMM-265, known as the Dragons, is based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, under Marine Aircraft Group 36 and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Activated in 1962, the squadron flew UH-34s, CH-46 Sea Knights, and eventually transitioned to the MV-22B Osprey, earning Tiltrotor Squadron of the Year honors in both 2013 and 2023. When the Dragons deploy as VMM-265 (REIN), they serve as the Aviation Combat Element of the 31st MEU, the only permanently forward-deployed Marine Expeditionary Unit in the world and the Indo-Pacific region's premier crisis response force. In the reinforced configuration, the squadron is augmented with detachments of heavy, light, and attack helicopters, fixed-wing assets, and Marine air control group personnel, giving the MEU commander a full-spectrum aviation capability from a single embarked composite element. The Dragons have put that capability to work across combat operations, amphibious exercises, and humanitarian relief missions, including flying more than 415 flight hours delivering aid during Typhoon Haiyan relief operations in the Philippines. This embroidered patch marks the specific ACE identity that ties VMM-265 to the 31st MEU mission set and the broader story of forward-deployed Marine aviation in the Pacific.
Perfect for VMM-265 Dragons veterans and alumni, 31st MEU Marines and sailors, MV-22B Osprey crew members and maintainers, Marine Aircraft Group 36 and 1st Marine Aircraft Wing collectors, MCAS Futenma and Okinawa-based service members, Indo-Pacific deployment keepsakes, shadow boxes, patch panels, reunion displays, and anyone building a serious collection around forward-deployed Marine Corps aviation and MEU ACE heritage. It also makes a meaningful gift for families and supporters who want a specific, well-researched piece tied to the Dragons and the amphibious readiness mission they carry every deployment.
Dragons patch, ACE identity, and sixty-plus years of forward-deployed Marine aviation heritage in every stitch.
