USMC VMO-2 Patch Marine Observation Squadron 2 (VMO-2), United States Marine Corps Marine Observation Squadron 2 (VMO-2) was originally commissioned as Artillery Spotting Division, Marine Observation Squadron 251 (VMO-251) at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia on 1 November 1943. Redesignated VMO-2 in February 1944 and attached to the 2nd Marine Division in Hawaii, the squadron flew hundreds of reconnaissance and artillery-spotting missions in the OY-1 aircraft. VMO-2 participated in the Battles of Saipan—where they were the first American airplanes to land at Marpi Point Field—Tinian, and Okinawa, where they were again the first American planes to land on the island. Recommissioned on 15 June 1951 at MCAS Santa Ana, California, VMO-2 deployed to Japan and Okinawa before joining MAG-16 at Marble Mountain Air Facility, Da Nang in 1965, flying the UH-1E Iroquois in Vietnam. On 6 July 1968, the first OV-10 Broncos arrived at Da Nang, and VMO-2 flew the aircraft's first combat sortie that same day. The maneuverable, lightly armed Bronco was tailor-made for counter-insurgency operations, and VMO-2 logged over 38,000 combat flight hours between September 1968 and March 1971 in Vietnam. In August 1990, VMO-2 made aviation headlines by launching six OV-10s on an unprecedented 10,000-mile journey to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield. During Desert Storm, the squadron flew 286 combat missions totaling 900 flight hours around the clock, directing U.S. and Allied artillery, attack aircraft, and naval gunfire—including spotting for USS Wisconsin's first combat firing since the Korean War. Despite being targeted by Iraqi surface-to-air missiles over 94 times, VMO-2 accounted for confirmed kills of 54 tanks, 53 armored personnel carriers, 49 artillery pieces, 112 vehicles, and 4 command buildings. The squadron was decommissioned on 23 May 1993. Perfect For: VMO-2 veterans, OV-10 Bronco enthusiasts, Marine Corps observation aviation historians, Desert Storm veterans, Vietnam War-era Marine aviators, and collectors of deactivated squadron memorabilia. A lasting tribute to the Marine observation aviators who directed devastating firepower from Saipan to Desert Storm, flying low and slow in defense of Marines on the ground.
