The internal 20-mm rotary cannon of the F-104A was retained, as well as the ability to carry an AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile on each wingtip to fill an air defense interceptor mission.

On 12 January 1981, the Boricua Popular Army, also known as the Macheteros, a group of home grown Marxist aligned Puerto Rican terrorists advocating separation from the United States and establishment of Puerto Rico as an independent nation, infiltrated Muñiz Air National Guard Base.

Armed with pipe bombs, they destroyed or damaged a total of eleven PR ANG aircraft: ten A-7D Corsair IIs and a single F-104 Starfighter being retained for eventual static display as a memorial.

The terrorist attack was the largest on any U.S. Air Force installation since the Vietnam War, although the ongoing hostage situation in Iran at the time overshadowed this incident in the news media.

On 3 March 1998 the last F-16A departed from the 156th Fighter Wing and on 11 September 1998 a ceremony was held to mark the arrival of the first C-130E dedicated to the airlift mission.

CORONET OAK missions ranged from U.S. embassy support throughout Central America and South America, to engagement with partner nation military forces, support humanitarian and disaster relief (HA/DR) missions, and other taskings, to include the ability to deliver U.S. special operations forces (SOF) to any location in theater, as directed by USSOUTHCOM.

In addition to the 156 AW, Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and other Air National Guard (ANG) C-130 aircraft, aircrews and supporting personnel routinely deploy from the United States to Muniz ANGB to provide theater airlift support for USSOUTHCOM under CORONET OAK.

CORONET OAK aircraft would share the Muñiz ANGB flight line with the Puerto Rico Air National Guard.

The 118 AW had previously received these WC-130H aircraft from the 403rd Wing (403 WG) of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) as that unit transitioned to the WC-130J and C-130J.

65-0968, on its final flight to long-term storage with the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309 AMARG) at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.

This flight included a stopover at Savannah Air National Guard Base at Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport, Georgia.

At approximately 900 feet mean sea level and 131 knots indicated air speed, the aircraft commander inputted over nine degrees of left rudder, turning into the malfunctioning engine that he had called for shutdown.

[5] The subsequent USAF Aircraft Accident Investigation Board Report stated that the mishap pilot's improper application of left rudder resulted in a subsequent skid below three-engine minimum controllable airspeed, a left-wing stall, and the mishap aircraft's departure from controlled flight.

[6] A culture of apathy and poor morale in the 156 AW, exacerbated by training, readiness and combat capability that had been often neglected and in decline for years, were also considered to be contributing factors in the Air Force's and the National Guard Bureau's decision to transition the 156th to a non-flying mission for the foreseeable future in order for the unit to regain its operational footing and mission focus.