VMM-364 Purple Foxes Las Vegas DET Patch
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 364 (VMM-364), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 364 (VMM-364), the "Purple Foxes," was originally commissioned as Marine Light Helicopter Squadron 364 (HML-364) on 1 September 1961 at Marine Corps Air Facility Santa Ana, California. The squadron received its first Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse helicopter in November 1961 and deployed to Vietnam in November 1963, beginning a combat legacy that would span three tours and nearly half of the squadron's first decade of existence. The Purple Fox name was adopted during the Vietnam era from a cartoon mascot called "Swifty."
During its three Vietnam tours, the Purple Foxes' pilots and crewmen flew almost 70,000 hours in combat and combat support missions, earning the Presidential Unit Citation. In October 1970, the squadron rescued over 1,500 people during the worst flooding in the Da Nang area in six years. Decommissioned on 22 March 1971 and reactivated on 28 September 1984 at MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, HMM-364 went on to support Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the Mount Pinatubo eruption relief in the Philippines, and Hurricane Iniki relief on Kauai. Since 2003, the Purple Foxes completed five deployments to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, with the final deployment making HMM-364 the last Marine helicopter squadron in Iraq.
On 9 October 2014, the squadron transitioned to the MV-22B Osprey and was redesignated VMM-364. Now based at MCAS Camp Pendleton under MAG-39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, the Purple Foxes continue to provide medium-lift tiltrotor assault support to Marine expeditionary forces. This Las Vegas DET patch represents a squadron detachment operating in the Las Vegas area, likely supporting training exercises at nearby Nellis Air Force Base or the Nevada Test and Training Range—premier venues for advanced tactical training.
Perfect For: VMM-364 Purple Foxes members and veterans, HMM-364 Vietnam-era alumni, MAG-39 and 3rd MAW personnel, MV-22 Osprey crews, CH-46 Sea Knight community members, and Marine aviation deployment patch collectors.
Give a Shit!—the Purple Foxes of VMM-364, from Vietnam's battlefields to Iraq's last Marine helicopter mission, now flying the Osprey into a new era.
