Official HMLA-369 Gunfighters 50th Anniversary Patches

Official HMLA-369 Gunfighters 50th Anniversary Patches — Five Decades of Bringing the Fight From the Skies

From the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan, the Gunfighters have been in the thick of it for half a century.

Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369 (HMLA-369) — the 'Gunfighters' — was activated on April 1, 1972, at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, making this 50th anniversary patch a tribute to one of the most combat-tested rotary-wing squadrons in the Marine Corps. Just two months after standing up, the newly formed HMA-369 deployed to North Vietnam for Operation MARHUK (Marine Hunter Killer), earning the Helicopter Squadron of the Year award in its very first year of existence. Based today at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California, under Marine Aircraft Group 39 and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, the Gunfighters fly the AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom — the Marine Corps' lethal attack and utility helicopter team. The squadron's combat record is staggering. In 1983, HMA-369 became the first helicopter squadron of any service to participate in the Air Force's Red Flag exercise. In 1985, the Gunfighters flew UH-1Ns from Hong Kong across the Chinese border — the first time since 1949 that a tactical Marine squadron had entered Communist China's airspace. When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, HMLA-369 was the first Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron to arrive in Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield, and the first HMLA called to war when Desert Storm kicked off. The commanding officer, Lt. Col. Michael 'Spot' Kurth, was awarded the Navy Cross for valor. From there, the Gunfighters deployed to Somalia for Operation Restore Hope, aided in the evacuation of Americans from war-torn Rwanda, carried out over 300 combat missions into Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and completed multiple combat deployments to Afghanistan's Helmand Province. This 50th anniversary patch celebrates five decades of Gunfighter heritage — from their founding in the waning days of Vietnam to the modern battlefields of the 21st century.

Perfect For: HMLA-369 Gunfighter veterans past and present, AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom crews, HMLA community members, and collectors honoring one of the Marine Corps' most decorated rotary-wing squadrons.