Officially Licensed USMC VMFA-122 Werewolves Leather Patches

Officially Licensed USMC VMFA-122 Werewolves Leather Patches — From Guadalcanal Under Pappy Boyington to Fifth-Generation Stealth

The Werewolves were hunting in the Solomons before most squadrons existed. They've been hunting ever since.

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 (VMFA-122) was commissioned on March 1, 1942, at Camp Kearny, California, originally known as the 'Candystripers' under its first commanding officer, Major I. I. Brackett. The squadron quickly adopted the 'Werewolves' moniker before embarking on its first combat tour, flying the F4F Wildcat to Guadalcanal in October 1942. Throughout 1942 and 1943, the Werewolves conducted combat operations on Espiritu Santo, at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, and during the Rendova and Munda campaigns. In April 1943, under the command of the legendary Major Gregory 'Pappy' Boyington, VMF-122 transitioned to the F4U-1 Corsair and accounted for 35.5 aerial kills before returning stateside. After the war, the squadron formed the Marine Corps' first and only aerial demonstration team, the 'Flying Leathernecks,' touring the country for two years before becoming the first Marine jet squadron to be both day and night carrier-qualified. In January 1954, VMF-122 became the first Marine squadron equipped with the FJ-2 Fury, and in December 1957 they became the fastest squadron in the Marine Corps with delivery of the first F8U-1 Crusader — adopting the 'Crusaders' nickname that would carry them through Vietnam. The Crusaders deployed to the Republic of Vietnam in August 1967, operating from Da Nang Air Base, where they flew 2,540 sorties and delivered 4,800 tons of ordnance in five months. During the Khe Sanh siege in February 1968, the squadron accrued 745 flight hours on 629 combat sorties and dropped 1,300 tons of ordnance in a single month. After Vietnam, VMFA-122 transitioned through the F-4 Phantom, nearly became the Marine Corps' first F-14A Tomcat squadron, and ultimately accepted the F/A-18 Hornet in 1986 before returning to the Werewolves name for their first combat deployment since Vietnam during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008. In November 2017, the squadron transitioned to the F-35B Lightning II at MCAS Yuma under MAG-13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, entering the fifth-generation stealth era. This leather patch carries the Werewolves identity — the original nickname from the squadron's World War II birth.

Perfect For: VMFA-122 Werewolves Marines past and present, F-35B Lightning II pilots and maintainers, Corsair and Phantom veterans, MAG-13 and 3rd MAW personnel, MCAS Yuma Marines, and anyone who proudly wears the Werewolves insignia.