Official VMA-231 Ace of Spades AV-8 Harrier 1000+ Hours Shoulder Patch VMCJ-3 Some of the most beloved

Some of the most beloved members of any military unit never wore a rank or drew a paycheck

and hostile forces created a challenging operational environment

from urban combat to jungle warfare

when pilots needed a quick way to distinguish friendly aircraft from hostile ones

Official VMA-231 Ace of Spades AV-8 Harrier 1000+ Hours Shoulder Patch VMCJ-3 Some of the most belovedOfficial VMA 231 Ace of Spades AV 8 Harrier 1000+ Hours Shoulder Patch A Thousand Hours in the Jump Jet One thousand hours in a Harrier isn't a milestone it's a survival story. VMA 231 "Ace of Spades" is the Marine Corps' oldest flying squadron, first commissioned in 1919, and has served with distinction across a century of conflicts. Reactivated in 1973 with the AV 8A Harrier the Corps' first V STOL aircraft VMA 231 became the first recipient of the