As a result of its superior performance, the 58th received the Distinguished Unit Citation for combat operations conducted in central Tunisia.

[5] This fluctuation of activity leveled out when the 58th, part of the re-designated 33d Tactical Fighter Wing was assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida and began flying the F-4 Phantom II.

In 1972, the 58th was deployed to Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand under what was known as the "Summer Help Program."

On 2 June 1972, Major Philip W. Handley and Lieutenant John J. Smallwood shot down a MiG-19 with a 300-round burst from their M-61A Vulcan Cannon, disproving the perception that American aircrews had lost their dogfighting skills.

Just over two months later on 12 August 1972, another 58th fighter was credited with a kill after shooting down a MiG-21 with an AIM-7 Sparrow, a radar guided missile.

Ten years later, the 58th participated in Operation Just Cause where forces successfully removed Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega from power in Panama.

Twenty-four F-15s under the command of Colonel Rick Parsons departed Eglin Air Force Base for King Faisal Air Base, Saudi Arabia as part of the buildup of coalition forces in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

[3] On 25 June 1996, one day before their departure for a scheduled rotation as part of Operation Southern Watch, a terrorist bomb ripped through the Khobar Towers complex that housed squadron personnel.