Official Raider Battalion Commando Afghan Village Stability Operations VSO PVC Patch

Raider Battalion Commando Afghan Village Stability Operations VSO PVC Patch

Marine Raider Regiment, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC)

The Marine Raider Regiment represents the Marine Corps' elite special operations force within U.S. Special Operations Command, carrying forward the legacy of America's first special operations forces—the World War II Marine Raiders whose "Edson's Raiders" of 1st Battalion and "Carlson's Raiders" of 2nd Battalion were among the first U.S. special operations units to see combat. The modern Marine Raiders were born when MARSOC was officially activated on 24 February 2006 at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, drawing the majority of its initial combat personnel from the Marine Corps' 1st and 2nd Force Reconnaissance Companies.

This Village Stability Operations (VSO) patch commemorates one of MARSOC's most significant mission sets in Afghanistan. Following General David Petraeus's assumption of command in Afghanistan in 2010, special operations forces were task-organized into battalion-level Special Operations Task Forces (SOTF) to support the Afghan Local Police/Village Stability Operations program. MARSOC's area of responsibility encompassed western Afghanistan and Helmand Province, where Marine Special Operations Teams embedded in remote Afghan villages to train, advise, and assist local security forces in countering Taliban influence at the grassroots level.

By February 2019, MARSOC had conducted 300 operational deployments across 13 countries, been awarded more than 300 valor awards, and lost 43 Raiders—including two multipurpose canines—killed in training and combat operations. On 6 August 2014, the Commandant of the Marine Corps officially bestowed the prestigious "Marine Raider" moniker upon MARSOC's combat units in commemoration of their World War II predecessors. Today, the Marine Raider Regiment comprises three battalions of fourteen-man Marine Special Operations Teams conducting direct action, special reconnaissance, and irregular warfare worldwide.

Perfect For: MARSOC Marine Raiders and veterans, VSO program participants, Marine Special Operations Team members, Force Reconnaissance alumni, Afghanistan War special operations veterans, and supporters of Marine Corps special operations.

Spiritus Invictus—honoring the Raiders who lived among Afghan villagers, fought alongside local forces, and carried the fight to the enemy in the most austere and dangerous corners of the battlefield.