In 1961 the Sundowners' traditional mascot, "Omar," was conceived by squadron enlisted men to mark the transition to the F-8D Crusader.

[5] During the Vietnam War the Sundowners were based at NAS Miramar, California with the squadron (including detachments) making ten deployments to Southeast Asia,[6] flying 12,500 combat sorties.

[7][8] On 27 May, F-8D BuNo 148706 was shot down near Vinh; the pilot CDR Doyle Lynn was killed in action, body not recovered.

F-8D BuNo 147911 was lost; the pilot, LTJG Gene Gollahon, was killed and his remains were returned in March 1974.

On 31 July F-8C #146993 was hit by an SA-2, the pilot LT Charles Zuhoski ejected successfully, was captured and released on 14 March 1973.

[9][12] On 8 September, F-8C BuNo 146929 was lost due to electrical failure, the pilot ejected successfully and was rescued.

On 19 September, Lieutenant Tony Nargi shot down a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) MiG-21 with an AIM-9 Sidewinder.

On 6 March 1972, LT Garry Weigand and LTJG Bill Freckleton engaged and shot down a VPAF MiG-17 near Quang Lang Airfield in North Vietnam.

Their aircraft, F-4B, NL 201, BuNo 153019, was restored to the original paint scheme by the current Sundowner squadron, VFC-111, and is displayed on a pedestal just inside the main gate at NAS Key West, Florida.

In late 1976 through early 1977, VF-111 made an Atlantic and Mediterranean deployment, a rare event for a Pacific Fleet squadron, with CVW-19 aboard USS Franklin D. Roosevelt for that carrier's final cruise.

[16] The squadron sustained one non-combat loss on September 8, 1979, when F-14A BuNo 160672 crashed off the Philippine coast after suffering an engine fire while launching from the Kitty Hawk; pilot LTJG Richard Cummings and RIO LT Lloyd Abel ejected.

VF-111 and the other squadrons of CVW-15 were subsequently deployed on the maiden cruise of USS Carl Vinson in 1983, which saw the Sundowners accumulate over 1400 carrier arrested landings and 300 flight hours during the eight-month long voyage.

[19] In the spring of 1986, VF-111 began another work-up cycle, completing a series of training evolution and exercises in preparation for their June 1988 Pacific/Indian Ocean deployment.

While on station, the carrier supported Operation Earnest Will, the escort of U.S. flagged tankers in the Persian Gulf.

[16] On 15 October 1991, VF-111 returned to USS Kitty Hawk for her two-month cruise from NAS Norfolk, Virginia "around the horn" of South America to NAS North Island, California following the carrier's comprehensive, multi-year Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

[16] Original Navy plans intended for VF-51 and VF-111 to become the first deployable squadrons to transition to the F-14D Super Tomcat, however, these plans were cancelled in December 1991 due to the squadron's pending transfer to the USS Kitty Hawk, which was not adequately equipped to accommodate the improved Tomcat model.

[19] Also, one of the fictional RIOs in the film, played by Clarence Gilyard, uses the callsign "Sundown" and wears a VF-111 styled helmet and squadron patch on his flight suit.