{"product_id":"officially-licensed-usmc-vma-331-bumblebees-squadron-sticker","title":"Officially Licensed USMC VMA-331 Bumblebees Squadron Sticker","description":"\u003cp\u003eOfficially Licensed USMC VMA-331 Bumblebees Squadron Sticker - Marine Attack Squadron 331 (VMA-331) Bumblebees officially licensed vinyl sticker, MCAS Beaufort, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFifty years of sting — from Pacific dive bombers and Vietnam Skyhawks to the first AV-8B Harrier II squadron in Marine Corps history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVMA-331 traces its lineage to Marine Scout Bomber Squadron 331, formed on 1 January 1943 at MCAS Cherry Point and deployed to the Pacific with SBD Dauntless dive bombers. Reactivated in 1952 and redesignated as a Marine Attack Squadron, the Bumblebees flew A-4 Skyhawks through the Cold War, supported the Cuban Missile Crisis blockade, and made five combat deployments to Vietnam. The squadron's most defining milestone came on 25 January 1985, when VMA-331 became the first fully operational AV-8B Harrier II squadron in Marine Corps service. Flying from the USS Nassau during Operation Desert Storm, the Bumblebees flew 243 sorties and became the first Marine Attack Squadron to conduct combat operations from a Landing Helicopter Assault ship. The squadron was decommissioned on 1 October 1992 as part of the post-Cold War drawdown, closing a chapter that spanned World War II, Vietnam, and the Gulf War. The Bumblebees insignia — a bee riding a bomb with a bombing sight — has remained the squadron's identity throughout its entire history, making this officially licensed vinyl sticker a direct link to that unbroken visual legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect For: VMA-331 veterans and alumni, AV-8B Harrier II enthusiasts, Marine Corps aviation collectors, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing supporters, MCAS Beaufort community members, Operation Desert Storm commemorators, Vietnam-era Marine aviation historians, shadow box builders, deployment keepsake displays, challenge coin and patch boards, and anyone assembling a serious Marine attack aviation collection that honors the full arc from World War II dive bombers to the first Harrier II combat sorties.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBumblebees heritage, officially licensed, and built to outlast the gear it rides on.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Military, Law Enforcement and Custom Patches","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45326728855661,"sku":null,"price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0742\/9831\/files\/4Patch_33_fd5d03e8-c5d2-47cf-8e51-8e6d1dca1d42.png?v=1781208471","url":"https:\/\/marinepatches.com\/products\/officially-licensed-usmc-vma-331-bumblebees-squadron-sticker","provider":"MarinePatches.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}