0351 Assaultman US Marine Corps MOS Patch - Desert

He was the Marine who kicked in the door when others hesitated—the shock force of the infantry, the breacher of fortified positions, the one who shattered obstacles so the rest of the squad could fight forward. The 0351 Assaultman was a specialist forged for high-intensity combat, carrying the explosive tools and shoulder-fired weapons that turned the tide in some of the Corps’ fiercest battles. In desert warfare, where the ground burns beneath your boots and the horizon hides threats in every mirage, the Assaultman’s role became even more vital—and even more dangerous.

From the early days of Iraq and Afghanistan, the 0351 was at the front of every push. These Marines carried SMAWs, rocket launchers, demolition charges, and breaching tools across blistering sands and into hardened enemy positions. They were the ones who blew the breaches in Fallujah’s walls, who opened the way for fire teams fighting through labyrinths of sun-baked buildings, and who destroyed bunker systems carved into the desert itself. Every explosion they set, every door they opened under fire, was a step closer to securing the objective.

The desert was a crucible for the 0351. Heat warped gear, dust fouled weapons, and every approach to a target felt exposed beneath the ruthless sun. But the Assaultman adapted. He learned to move quickly across open ground, to judge distances across shimmering dunes, to time breaching blasts with precision even as sweat stung his eyes and the air shimmered with heat. When the call came to take out a bunker, neutralize a fortified position, or create a new entry under fire, the 0351 answered without hesitation.

Assaultmen served shoulder to shoulder with riflemen, machine gunners, and squad leaders, forming the destructive edge of Marine infantry. Their MOS may have been retired, but their legacy is alive in every Marine who trained to blow through obstacles, fight through complex terrain, and bring overwhelming force to the battlefield. The desert variant of this MOS patch honors the Marines who fought in Iraq’s urban deserts, Afghanistan’s rugged valleys, and every unforgiving place where Assaultmen proved their worth.

To wear the 0351 Assaultman MOS Desert patch is to honor a warrior whose job was pure aggression—violent, precise, and essential. It is a tribute to the Marines who carried explosives into the heat of battle and who cleared the path for victory.