Official VMM-268 Red Dragons MV-22 Hanukkah commemorative patch.
Eight nights, eight Ospreys — Red Dragons celebrate the Festival of Lights.
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 268 (VMM-268), the "Red Dragons," is a USMC MV-22B Osprey assault support squadron based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, operating under Marine Aircraft Group 24 (MAG-24) and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. The squadron's lineage runs from HML-268 (activated September 15, 1972 at MCAS New River) and HMM-268 (activated March 1, 1979 at MCAS Tustin with CH-46 Sea Knights) to its redesignation as VMM-268 on April 10, 2014, when the last CH-46Es were retired and the squadron stood up on the MV-22B Osprey. In April 2017 VMM-268 made history by conducting the first trans-Pacific flight by MV-22B Ospreys — flying approximately 6,000 miles from Hawaii to Australia in about 21 hours with stops at Wake Island and Guam — proving the tiltrotor's intercontinental self-deployment capability. As the rotational reinforced Aviation Combat Element for Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D), the Red Dragons cycle Ospreys forward to Australia each April–October. The Hanukkah commemorative patch is a Festival-of-Lights tribute from the squadron to the Jewish service members across the MAGTF — the Marines, Sailors, and family members who light the menorah during deployments, away from home, on the flight line at MCBH or RAAF Darwin. It's morale gear, identity gear, and a reminder that the Red Dragons fly for everyone in the formation.
Perfect For: VMM-268 Red Dragons active-duty and veteran personnel, MV-22B Osprey pilots and aircrew, MCBH Kaneohe Bay and 1st MAW personnel, MAG-24 Marines, Jewish service members across the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, military Hanukkah commemorative collectors, and Marine aviation morale-patch enthusiasts.
Red Dragons Hanukkah — eight nights, Ospreys turning, Mahalo and Shalom.