VMF-224 Bengals (Throwback)

VMFA-224 "Bengals" — legacy VMF-224 insignia · USMC · 2010s-present

A deliberate throwback to Marine Fighting Squadron 224, commissioned 1 May 1942 and thrown into the Cactus Air Force at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, that August — where the Bengals were credited with more than 60 Japanese aircraft in under two months under Maj. Robert Galer. The winged tiger in musketeer's plume and orange boxing gloves dates to that F4F Wildcat era, before the squadron picked up its all-weather designation with the A-6 Intruder and became VMA(AW)-224. Submitted by a Bengal maintainer of the 2009-2014 F/A-18D years, who notes the legacy patch is still worn by squadron pilots and maintainers today. The tiger has outlasted four aircraft and four designations, riding tail art from the Wildcat to the F-35B.