Officially Licensed USMC HRS/CH-19 Korean War Patch — Embroidered Patch
Where Marine Helicopter Warfare Was Born
Before Vietnam, before the Huey, before the Osprey — there was Korea, and the Sikorsky HRS Chickasaw was the helicopter that proved rotary-wing aircraft could change the face of ground combat. This patch honors the Marines who flew the HRS in the Korean War, pioneering the doctrine of vertical envelopment that would define Marine operations for generations.
The Sikorsky HRS (redesignated CH-19 in 1962) was the Marine Corps' first transport helicopter capable of carrying meaningful loads of troops and supplies. Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron 161 (HMR-161) deployed to Korea in the summer of 1951 with the dual mission of testing the HRS in combat and supporting the 1st Marine Division. The concept worked. HRS crews flew resupply missions to units cut off by rugged terrain, evacuated casualties from positions inaccessible to ground vehicles, and conducted the first helicopter-borne troop lifts in combat history. Operation Windmill in September 1951 demonstrated that helicopters could move an entire battalion's supplies in a single day. The lessons learned in Korea with the HRS became the foundation for the vertical envelopment doctrine that Marine aviation has employed in every conflict since.
Perfect For:
Korean War Marine veterans, early helicopter aviation pioneers, HMR-161 alumni, Marine aviation historians, rotary-wing heritage enthusiasts, and military patch collectors
Korea proved the concept. The HRS proved the helicopter.
