Marine Fighter Squadron (VMF) 224 was commissioned on 1 May 1942 at Barbers Point, Hawaii. Flying Grumman F4F Wildcats, the Bengals entered WWII as part of the vaunted Cactus Air Force stationed on Henderson Field, Guadalcanal. In July 1956, the squadron became the first Marine unit to field the A4D-1 Skyhawk aircraft. In 1965, after two cruises, a year deployed to Iwakuni, Japan, and numerous other training deployments, the Bengals entered the Vietnam conflict. For nearly a year the Bengals operated their “Scooters” from the expeditionary field at Chu Lai. On 1 November 1966, the squadron acquired the Grumman A-6A Intruder and was re-designated as Marine All Weather Attack Squadron (VMA(AW)) 224. In 1971, the Bengals deployed to the South China Sea aboard the USS Coral Sea. As part of Carrier Air Wing 15, the squadron completed six line periods on Yankee Station and participated in numerous operations, including the historic mining of Hai Phong Harbor. On 6 March 1993, the squadron was re-designated VMFA(AW)-224 and moved to MCAS Beaufort, SC where the Bengals received the multi-mission F/A-18D Hornet. This patch does not come with velcro attached!!