VMM-166 Seaelks Sunset Patch - Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 166 (VMM-166) SeaElk Embroidered Patch, MCAS Miramar, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
SeaElk identity, Osprey lift, and thirty-six years of expeditionary Marine Corps aviation stitched into one sunset design.
VMM-166 was activated on 13 September 1985 at Marine Corps Air Station Tustin, California, assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 16 under the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The youngest CH-46 Sea Knight squadron in the Marine Corps at its founding, the SeaElks built a record across decades of global operations that included Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Operation Support Hope in Rwanda, Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, where the squadron served as the aviation combat element of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and flew combat missions during the Battle of Najaf in 2004. The squadron also conducted humanitarian assistance flights over Bangladesh following Tropical Cyclone Sidr in 2007, delivering tens of thousands of pounds of food and water. On 23 June 2010, HMM-166 was redesignated VMM-166 as it transitioned to the MV-22 Osprey, becoming the second West Coast Osprey squadron. The SeaElks flew their final mission on 30 June 2021 and were deactivated on 1 October 2021 under Force Design 2030, closing a chapter that spanned thirty-six years of assault support, vertical replenishment, search and rescue, and expeditionary lift across every major theater the Marine Corps entered.
Perfect for VMM-166 veterans and alumni, CH-46 Sea Knight and MV-22 Osprey crew members, 11th MEU supporters, Marine Aircraft Group 16 collectors, MCAS Miramar community members, shadow box builders, patch panel displays, reunion gifts, and anyone preserving the story of West Coast Marine medium tiltrotor aviation and the SeaElks who carried the mission from Tustin to Miramar and from the Gulf to the Pacific.
SeaElk heritage, earned across thirty-six years of lift, reach, and Marine Corps expeditionary service.
