{"product_id":"official-vaw-124-bear-acesbear-shoulder-patch","title":"Official VAW-124 Bear AcesBear Shoulder Patch","description":"\u003cp\u003eOfficial VAW-124 Bear AcesBear Shoulder Patch - Airborne Command and Control Squadron 124 (VAW-124) Bear Aces, E-2 Hawkeye, Carrier Air Wing 8, Official Embroidered Shoulder Patch.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEyes of the fleet, controllers of the fight, and the squadron that earned its name hunting Soviet Bears over the North Atlantic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVAW-124 was commissioned on 1 September 1967 as the Bullseye Hummers and has operated E-2 Hawkeye variants continuously since that first day. The Bear Aces callsign came directly from combat performance: during a December 1980 emergency deployment to NAS Keflavik, Iceland, the squadron conducted numerous successful intercepts of Soviet TU-95 Bear reconnaissance aircraft, and the nickname stuck. The unit went on to build one of the most decorated records in carrier airborne early warning history, flying 331 combat sorties and more than 1,150 combat hours during Operation Desert Storm, the most of any E-2C squadron in that conflict. VAW-124 Hawkeyes also controlled the F-14 Tomcats that intercepted two Libyan Su-22 fighters over the Gulf of Sidra in 1981, and the squadron has supported operations from Vietnam through Operation Inherent Resolve. Redesignated Airborne Command and Control Squadron 124 in January 2020 and now flying the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye with Carrier Air Wing 8 out of Naval Station Norfolk, the Bear Aces carry a lineage that spans decades of fleet defense, strike coordination, and airborne command authority. This official embroidered shoulder patch captures that identity in a durable, display-ready format suited for jackets, gear, shadow boxes, and collection boards.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect For: Navy veterans, VAW-124 alumni, E-2 Hawkeye aircrew and maintainers, Carrier Air Wing 8 collectors, Desert Storm and Operation Inherent Resolve commemorators, naval aviation historians, shadow box builders, cruise book displays, reunion gifts, and anyone assembling a serious carrier aviation patch collection anchored in verified fleet history and real operational heritage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBear Aces lineage, stitched into every thread — from the Arctic intercepts that named the squadron to the carrier decks that defined it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Military, Law Enforcement and Custom Patches by USMCinsignia.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67633640538221,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0742\/9831\/files\/1004_1.jpg?v=1791219702","url":"https:\/\/marinepatches.com\/products\/official-vaw-124-bear-acesbear-shoulder-patch","provider":"MarinePatches.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}