USMC Helicopter Squadrons
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Embroidered
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Official Army 178th Box Cars Chinook Patch - 178th Assault Support Helicopter Company (ASHC) Box Cars CH-47 Chinook Vietnam-Era Embroidered Patch.
Box Cars of Chu Lai, medium lift muscle, and the Americal Division's lifeline stitched into one enduring emblem.
The 178th Assault Support Helicopter Company arrived in Vietnam in April 1966 and relocated to Chu Lai as part of Task Force Oregon, where the unit earned the callsign Box Cars and built a reputation for heavy-lift performance that few CH-47 Chinook companies could match. Reassigned in January 1968 to the 17th Combat Aviation Group under the Americal Division in the I Corps Tactical Zone, the 178th became the first Chinook company in Vietnam to receive the upgraded B-model Chinook with the more powerful L-7C engine and the first to lift a complete 155mm howitzer weighing 12,500 pounds. At the battle of Kham Duc in May 1968, Box Cars crews flew 19 sorties and evacuated 774 personnel, almost entirely U.S. soldiers, under sustained enemy fire. By February 1968 the unit had logged 20,000 flight hours, and within eleven months it reached 30,000, a pace that reflected the relentless demand for medium lift across remote fire bases throughout I Corps. The Box Cars callsign, drawn from the dice marking of double sixes, became synonymous with the kind of reliable, high-stakes cargo and personnel movement that kept Americal Division soldiers supplied and alive on isolated landing zones across the Vietnamese highlands.
Perfect For: Army aviation veterans, CH-47 Chinook crew members and maintainers, 178th ASHC alumni, Americal Division collectors, Vietnam War historians, shadow box builders, unit reunion displays, challenge coin and patch boards, and anyone assembling a serious Army aviation collection around Vietnam-era assault support heritage. It is also a meaningful gift for families of Boxcar veterans who want a researched, unit-specific piece that honors the flight hours, the howitzer lifts, and the evacuation missions that defined the 178th's service in I Corps.
Box Cars heritage, earned at altitude over Chu Lai and carried forward in every stitch.
If you want to swap patches on/off gear, choose hook & loop (velcro). If you’re attaching permanently to uniforms or fabric, choose sew-on. If you want quick application on compatible fabric, choose iron-on / heat seal (when offered). Backing options are shown on the page and update based on the variant you select.
Size is shown on the product page and updates with the variant you select (example: 3"). If you’re mounting on a hat or small panel, choose smaller sizes; for plate carriers and display boards, larger sizes fit better.
If the product is officially licensed, it will say “Officially Licensed” in the title and/or in the product details. If it doesn’t, it’s still a legitimate product—just not part of a licensed program.
Yes. If you see a note like “bulk reruns available,” that means we can support group orders or reruns. If you don’t see it, contact us with the unit/squadron and quantity and we’ll confirm options.
Yes—custom solutions are available (patches, name tags, lanyards, apparel). Use the custom request page and include artwork, size, backing preference, and quantity.
