Official VMA-231 Ace of Spades Shoulder Patches — The Oldest Squadron in Marine Corps Aviation
Before there was a Marine Aircraft Wing, there was the Ace of Spades.
Marine Attack Squadron 231 (VMA-231) — the legendary 'Ace of Spades' — holds the distinction of being the oldest flying squadron in the United States Marine Corps, tracing its lineage all the way back to February 8, 1919, when it was commissioned as the 1st Division, Squadron 1 in Miami, Florida, emerging from the Northern Bombing Group that had served in France during World War I. The squadron's iconic insignia — the Ace of Spades bearing the letters 'A' and 'S' — was designed by 2nd Lieutenant Hayne D. Boyden, with the ace representing 'First' and the letters standing for 'Air Squadron,' making it the first official unit insignia in Marine Corps aviation history. Based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina under Marine Aircraft Group 14 and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, VMA-231 has been at the forefront of every major chapter in Marine aviation. The squadron pioneered dive-bombing tactics in Nicaragua in the late 1920s, fought across the Pacific in World War II, and was reactivated in 1973 to fly the revolutionary AV-8A Harrier — becoming the Marine Corps' first V/STOL attack squadron and winning the inaugural V/STOL Squadron of the Year award in 1977. When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, VMA-231 flew an unprecedented 18,000 nautical miles around the world in just 14 days to join the fight, then flew 987 combat sorties and delivered over 1.6 million pounds of ordnance during Desert Storm. The Ace of Spades went on to support operations in Kosovo, Libya, Afghanistan, and most recently Operation Prosperity Guardian, before completing its final AV-8B Harrier II flight in May 2025. The squadron is now transitioning to the F-35B Lightning II as VMFA-231, carrying over a century of Marine aviation heritage into the fifth-generation era.
Perfect For: VMA-231 veterans and active-duty Marines, Harrier pilots and maintainers, MAG-14 and 2nd MAW personnel, Cherry Point Marines, and anyone who has served with the oldest squadron in Marine Corps aviation.
