VMA-311 Tomcats (Sylvester) Patch
Marine Attack Squadron 311 (VMA-311) "Tomcats"
Commissioned as Marine Fighting Squadron 311 (VMF-311) on 1 December 1942 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, the Tomcats entered the Pacific Theater flying the Vought F4U Corsair, serving with distinction through the island-hopping campaigns including the Battle of Okinawa. During the Korean War, the squadron became one of the first Marine units to fly jet combat missions with the F9F Panther, and legendary pilots including future astronaut and Senator John Glenn and baseball great Ted Williams served with the unit, amassing 18,851 combat sorties over two and a half years.
Redesignated Marine Attack Squadron 311 (VMA-311) on 1 June 1957, the Tomcats deployed to Chu Lai, Vietnam, in May 1965, flying A-4 Skyhawks and completing a staggering 54,625 combat sorties and dropping 105,000 tons of ordnance over nearly eight years. Transitioning to the AV-8B Harrier in 1988, VMA-311 deployed to Saudi Arabia on 11 August 1990 as the most forward-deployed Marine fixed-wing squadron, and on 17 January 1991 became the first Marine squadron to employ the AV-8B in combat during Desert Storm, flying 1,017 combat sorties and delivering 840 tons of ordnance. The Tomcats' Harriers were also the first to fly combat missions in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom on 3 November 2001.
Decommissioned on 15 October 2020, VMA-311 was reactivated on 14 April 2023 as VMFA-311 at MCAS Miramar, California, transitioning to the F-35C Lightning II and declaring Initial Operational Capability in July 2024. This Sylvester-mascot patch celebrates the squadron's iconic Tomcat identity.
Perfect For: VMA-311 veterans, Tomcat squadron personnel, Harrier pilots and maintainers, F-35C Lightning II enthusiasts, Korea and Vietnam War Marines, and Marine Corps attack aviation collectors.
Honoring a squadron with a legacy of aviation firsts spanning over eight decades of combat operations across every major American conflict since World War II.
