{"product_id":"official-vmfa-211-wake-island-avengers-red-lion-maintenance-shoulder-patch","title":"Official VMFA-211 Wake Island Avengers Red Lion Maintenance Shoulder Patch","description":"\u003cp\u003eOfficial VMFA-211 Wake Island Avengers Red Lion Maintenance Shoulder Patch - Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) Red Lion Maintenance Department Embroidered Shoulder Patch, MCAS Yuma, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvengers on the flight line — the Red Lion maintainers who keep the F-35B ready, armed, and airborne carry a name earned in blood at Wake Island and defended again at Camp Bastion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVMFA-211 traces its lineage to 1937 and carries one of the most battle-tested identities in Marine Corps aviation. When VMF-211 pilots flew their F4F Wildcats against Japanese attackers at Wake Island in December 1941, the squadron fought until every aircraft was destroyed, earning the Avengers name in honor of those killed or captured. Several future Medal of Honor recipients served in those early ranks, including Henry Elrod, Robert Galer, and Gregory Boyington. Decades later, the squadron earned a second hard name — Bastion Defenders — after surviving a devastating Taliban attack at Camp Bastion in 2012. Today, operating F-35B Lightning II jets under Marine Aircraft Group 13 at MCAS Yuma, VMFA-211 made history again by launching the first-ever F-35 combat mission from USS Essex in 2018. The Red Lion Maintenance shoulder patch represents the enlisted and staff NCO backbone of that legacy — the technicians, crew chiefs, and specialists who turn wrenches, run inspections, and make every sortie possible. A maintenance-specific shoulder patch like this one carries a different kind of pride than a pilot patch: it belongs to the people who own the jet before and after every flight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect For: VMFA-211 maintenance veterans and alumni, F-35B crew chiefs, Red Lion department members, Marine Corps aviation collectors, MAG-13 and 3rd MAW enthusiasts, shadow box builders, deployment keepsake displays, reunion gifts, challenge coin and patch boards, and anyone honoring the enlisted maintainers who sustain Marine fighter-attack readiness at MCAS Yuma and forward-deployed locations worldwide.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWake Island legacy, Red Lion pride — stitched for the Marines who keep the Avengers flying.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Military, Law Enforcement and Custom Patches by USMCinsignia.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50510637203565,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0742\/9831\/files\/C12C3264_BD5F8049.C0D39A6A00000000.jpg?v=1790346337","url":"https:\/\/marinepatches.com\/products\/official-vmfa-211-wake-island-avengers-red-lion-maintenance-shoulder-patch","provider":"MarinePatches.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}