Officially Licensed USMC UH-34D HUS Commemorative Patch — UH-34D Seahorse Vietnam-Era Helicopter Embroidered Patch
Popasmoke — the UH-34D that started Marine helicopter combat.
The UH-34D Seahorse (originally designated HUS-1) was the Marine Corps' primary assault helicopter during the early years of the Vietnam War, and this commemorative patch honors the aircraft and the Marines who flew and maintained it in some of the most intense combat helicopter operations in history. The UH-34D was the backbone of Marine helicopter transport squadrons (HMMs) from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, carrying Marines into hot landing zones throughout Vietnam's jungles and rice paddies.
The Sikorsky H-34 was a piston-engine helicopter that pushed the boundaries of what rotary-wing aircraft could do in combat. Marine UH-34D crews developed many of the assault helicopter tactics that would define helicopter warfare for generations — hot zone insertions, medevac under fire, resupply missions to isolated outposts, and close coordination with ground forces. The "Popasmoke" tradition — the call for smoke to mark a landing zone — became synonymous with Marine helicopter operations during this era. This commemorative patch preserves the legacy of the UH-34D and the Marines who took it to war before turbine-powered helicopters like the CH-46 Sea Knight arrived to replace it.
Perfect For: Vietnam-era Marine helicopter veterans, HUS/UH-34D crew members and maintainers, Popasmoke community members, Marine helicopter history enthusiasts, Vietnam War commemorative patch collectors, and anyone who honors the origins of Marine combat helicopter aviation.
Popasmoke — the UH-34D started it all.
