Authentic USMC MATSG-22 Decals – Licensed Military Stickers

Description

Officially Licensed USMC MATSG-22 Stickers — Born at Midway, Still Making Aviators

The Marines who defended Midway flew into 2-to-1 odds in obsolete aircraft. Only 20 of 52 came back. Their legacy trains every Marine aviator at Corpus Christi.

Marine Aviation Training Support Group 22 carries the lineage of Marine Aircraft Group 22 — one of the most storied combat units in Marine Corps aviation history. MAG-22 was commissioned on March 1, 1942 at Midway Atoll, and just three months later its squadrons — VMF-221 and VMSB-241 — flew directly into the teeth of the Japanese attack force during the Battle of Midway. Outnumbered and flying inferior aircraft like the Brewster F2A Buffalo against Zeros, the Marines of MAG-22 intercepted 108 incoming Japanese aircraft and shot down 43 of them, including 25 Val dive-bombers and 18 Zeros, while damaging three enemy ships. The cost was devastating: of 52 aircraft that launched, only 20 returned. Seven Marines were killed in action, 35 listed as missing and presumed dead, and 25 wounded. Over 50 Marines received awards for valor, and MAG-22 earned the Presidential Unit Citation. Admiral Nimitz himself sent a dispatch to the group: their sacrifice was not in vain. The group never served within the continental United States during the war, earning the nickname the “Foreign Legion of Marine Aviation.” After reconstituting, MAG-22 fought again during the Battle of Okinawa before being deactivated after the war. In May 2000, the Commandant of the Marine Corps directed the redesignation of Marine Aviation Detachment NAS Corpus Christi as MATSG-22, deliberately connecting today’s training mission with the heroic legacy of the Midway defenders. Today, MATSG-22 is based at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, where it represents Training Command in enabling Marine flight training. The group runs its own MATSG-22 University program, preparing student pilots for Primary Flight Training before they even enter the pipeline, and fosters professional development through war college-level intellectual programs. Every Marine aviator who passes through Corpus Christi carries a piece of the Midway legacy forward.

Perfect For: MATSG-22 Marines, NAS Corpus Christi student naval aviators, MAG-22 historians, Battle of Midway enthusiasts, VMF-221 and VMSB-241 legacy keepers, and anyone who trained under the group that defended Midway.

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