{"product_id":"officially-licensed-usmc-vmfn-542-tigers-squadron-patch","title":"Officially Licensed USMC VMF(N)-542 Tigers Squadron Patch","description":"\u003cp\u003eOfficially Licensed USMC VMF(N)-542 Tigers Squadron Patch - Marine Night Fighter Squadron 542, officially licensed embroidered patch representing the Tigers of the Pacific War.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNight hunters over Okinawa, Presidential Unit Citation earners, and the Marine Corps night fighter identity that defined radar-guided aerial combat in the Pacific.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVMF(N)-542 was commissioned on 6 March 1944 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, and assigned the F6F Hellcat night fighter from the start. The squadron deployed to Ulithi Atoll in the Caroline Islands by late October 1944, flying combat air patrols before moving forward to the Battle of Okinawa in early April 1945. Night operations launched from Yontan Airfield on 15 April, and within days the Tigers had opened their aerial account over the island. By the end of the Okinawa campaign, the squadron was credited with destroying eighteen Japanese aircraft and conducting rocket attacks across the Ryukyu Islands chain. Those actions earned VMF(N)-542 the Presidential Unit Citation, one of the most distinguished unit-level honors in the American military. Major Robert B. Porter and Captain Wallace E. Sigler also became the first night fighter pilots to reach ace status on Okinawa during that same period. The Tigers name carried forward through subsequent redesignations, connecting the original night fighter identity to decades of Marine aviation service across Korea, Vietnam, and beyond. This officially licensed embroidered patch preserves the World War II-era squadron identity in a format built for display boards, shadow boxes, flight jackets, and serious unit-history collections.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect For: USMC aviation veterans, World War II Pacific theater collectors, Okinawa campaign historians, Marine night fighter enthusiasts, VMF(N)-542 family members and descendants, shadow box builders, challenge coin and patch board displays, squadron reunion gifts, and anyone assembling a serious Marine Corps aviation collection anchored in verified wartime lineage and Presidential Unit Citation heritage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTigers of the Pacific night sky, stitched in thread and preserved for the collection.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Military, Law Enforcement and Custom Patches by USMCinsignia.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45263820292205,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0742\/9831\/files\/4Patch_22_d47adcca-da48-402f-a126-a4c3c9600bfc.png?v=1780325820","url":"https:\/\/marinepatches.com\/products\/officially-licensed-usmc-vmfn-542-tigers-squadron-patch","provider":"MarinePatches.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}