Officially Licensed USMC VMFA-321 Hells Angels Leather Patches — From Corsairs Over the Solomons to Hornets Over the Pentagon
The Hells Angels answered the call on September 12, 2001, without being asked. That's the kind of squadron this was.
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 321 (VMFA-321) — the 'Hells Angels' — was a United States Marine Corps reserve fighter squadron with one of the most remarkable combat records in Marine aviation history. Established on February 1, 1943, at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, the Hells Angels deployed to the South Pacific and flew F4U Corsairs from Vella Lavella and Bougainville in the Solomon Islands, amassing a record of 39 confirmed kills and 11 probables against Japanese aircraft with only eight aircraft lost. After the war, the squadron was deactivated and then reactivated in 1946 at NAS Anacostia, Washington, D.C., as part of the Marine Air Reserve, and went on to become the first Marine Reserve squadron to receive jet aircraft in 1954, the first to receive the F-4 Phantom in 1973, and completed its transition to the F/A-18 Hornet faster than any active duty squadron. VMFA-321 flew combat missions over Bosnia and deployed to Norway, Scotland, Egypt, and Denmark. On September 12, 2001 — the day after the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center — the Hells Angels reported to NAF Washington without being called, mission-ready with six aircraft and pilots, and launched combat air patrol sorties in defense of the nation's capital. The squadron was deactivated on September 11, 2004, and their last aircraft is now displayed at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. These leather patches carry the Hells Angels' legacy.
Perfect For: VMFA-321 Hells Angels Marines past and present, Marine reserve fighter community veterans, F4U Corsair, F-4 Phantom, and F/A-18 Hornet alumni, and anyone who served with one of the Marine Corps' most storied reserve squadrons.
