On 15 June 1945, VMF(CVS)-513 departed San Diego, California, aboard the USS Vella Gulf (CVE-111) and participated in carrier operations in the Pacific, making stops in Ewa, Enewetak, Saipan, and Guam.

The squadron nickname "Flying Nightmares" was coined by then Commanding Officer, LtCol James R. Anderson, USMC, in March 1951 because he thought it most appropriately described his outfit .

In this month alone, the squadron flew 2,086 hours in 604 night combat sorties, inflicting severe damage on the Chinese Forces tactical and logistical units.

Due to losses being incurred by B-29 Superfortresses on nighttime raids over North Korea, 1st MAW was asked to assign their night fighter squadron to escort the aircraft.

[2] On the early morning of November 3, 1952, VMF(N)-513 made aviation history with the first radar kill on an enemy jet aircraft at night, when Maj. William T. Stratton Jr., and MSgt Hans Hoglind shot down a North Korean Yak-15.

The outfit was effectively disbanded in Japan and reformed in El Toro under a new CO, who organized new pilots and maintenance Marines to operate the now "old" F-4D Skyrays while the Flying Nightmares awaited delivery of the brand new F-4 Phantom II.

In June 1965, the Nightmares replaced VMFA-531 at Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam for five months of combat and, for a while, were the only Marine jet fighters in country.

[4] This one-year overseas deployment ended in October 1965 and the squadron executed another wholesale personnel rotation, this time reforming at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina.

Throughout the 1990s and early 21st century the squadron continued to support Marine Expeditionary Units aboard ship for normal six-month-long deployments to the Western Pacific and Persian Gulf.

Additionally, VMA-513 (-) (REIN) flew 1,833.7 nighttime hours; thus, providing day and night precision strike capability for American and Coalition units with the newly introduced Litening II Targeting Pod.