A beautiful, original Japanese-made patch with an incredible history.
Japan was a popular R&R destination for US Military personnel serving in Vietnam. A number of well-known and documented patch shops provided insignia for US servicemen who wore them in-country when they returned to theatre.
The USS Iwo Jima was the first ship to be designed and designated as an amphibious assault ship and was the lead ship of her class of amphibious assault ships (helicopter). Her primary mission was to transport Marine forces, their equipment and supplies, and land them anywhere in the world whenever they were needed. In August 1963 she made her first deployment to WESPAC, one of six deployments the ship would make to that area. During each deployment, IWO JIMA played an active role in Southeast Asian operations by participating in over 30 amphibious landings in Vietnam until May 1971.
In addition to her service during the Vietnam War, Iwo Jima was notably the ship that recovered the crew of the Apollo 13 mission on 17 April 1970. The Apollo crew stayed one night on the ship before departing for Pago Pago, American Samoa the following day.
Additional period photographs:
- Combat-equipped US Marines boarding Sikorsky H-34 helicopters on the flight deck of the USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) for a landing at Vung Mu, Vietnam, during operation "Dagger Thrust" in December 1965. (US National Archives)
- Crewmen of the Iwo Jima hoisting the Apollo 13 command module Odyssey on board.
The lower portion of the patch depicts the iconic moment that six Marines of the 5th Division raised the US flag over Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
This patch is full colour, fully embroidered with a cut edge and a white cheese-cloth-like backing.
Contact us about our patch and insignia placement service or check out the tailoring services link on the left-hand side of the page!
Like all of our other products, our insignia is intricately researched, verified by reputable sources and guaranteed to be 100% original (unless stated otherwise) and comes with a no questions asked money-back guarantee.
