Officially Licensed HMH-362 Ugly Angels Large 1996 Patch

Officially Licensed HMH-362 Ugly Angels Large 1996 Patch — The First Marine Helicopter Squadron in Vietnam, Reborn Three Times

They were 'Archie's Angels' when they flew the first Marine helicopters into Vietnam. They became the Ugly Angels, and the name stuck for sixty years.

Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 362 (HMH-362) — the 'Ugly Angels' — holds one of the most remarkable lineages in Marine Corps aviation, having been the first Marine aircraft unit to deploy to the Republic of Vietnam. Activated on April 30, 1952, at Marine Corps Air Station Santa Ana, California, as Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron 362 (HMR-362), the squadron earned the nickname 'Archie's Angels' under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Archie Clapp and eventually became the 'Ugly Angels' — with a red-haired angel mascot named Olaf. In April 1962, HMM-362 landed at Sóc Trăng Airfield in the Mekong Delta as part of Operation Shufly, becoming the first Marine helicopter squadron in South Vietnam, flying UH-34D Seahorses to enhance the mobility of ARVN forces fighting the Viet Cong. The Ugly Angels returned to Vietnam from 1965 to 1969, operating from Ky Ha, Hue/Phu Bai, and Marble Mountain, and had the distinction of taking the first UH-34Ds to Vietnam and being the last squadron to fly them in combat. In August 1969, the squadron transitioned to the CH-53 Sea Stallion, was redesignated HMH-362, and relocated to MCAS New River, North Carolina. The Ugly Angels participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1991, supported Operations Deny Flight, Provide Promise, and Sharp Guard in Bosnia in 1993, served as the Aviation Combat Element aboard USS Wasp during Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti in 1994, and relocated to Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, in 1995. In 2002, HMH-362 became the first CH-53D squadron from MAG-24 assigned to the Unit Deployment Program in Japan, flying over 7,100 nautical miles on a four-month island-hopping tour through the Philippines, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. The squadron deployed to Iraq in 2007 and 2009, was redirected to Kandahar, Afghanistan, and returned again to Camp Bastion from 2010 to 2012 — making the final combat deployment of the CH-53D before the aircraft was retired. HMH-362 was deactivated on November 30, 2012, having accumulated over 59,000 Class A mishap-free flight hours and earned the Keith B. McCutcheon Award as Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron of the Year. The Ugly Angels were reactivated on August 17, 2018, as VMM-362, now flying the MV-22 Osprey at MCAS Miramar. This 1996 patch captures the squadron during its Hawaii era — when the Ugly Angels were flying the mighty CH-53D across the Pacific.

Perfect For: HMH-362 and VMM-362 Ugly Angels Marines past and present, CH-53D Sea Stallion veterans, UH-34 Seahorse Vietnam-era alumni, MAG-24 and 1st MAW personnel, MCB Hawaii Marines, and anyone who served with the first Marine helicopter squadron to fly into Vietnam.