58th Fighter Squadron The 58th Fighter Squadron ( 58 FS ) is part of the 33d Fighter Wing , a joint graduate flying and maintenance training wing for the F - 35A , B , and C , organized under Air Education and Training Command ' s 19th Air Force , at Eglin Air Force Base , Florida . Its mission is to train Air Force operators and maintainers of the F - 35 Lightning II . History . Activated as the 58th Pursuit Squadron ( part of the 33d Pursuit Group ) stationed at Mitchel Field , New York , the squadron was charged with the ongoing mission of aerial defense of the United States . When the United States entered World War II , the 58th took an active role in the war effort by participating in several operations during a three year overseas tour . These operations include the invasion of Morocco in November 1942 , combat operations in the Mediterranean Theater from November 1942 to February 1944 , and operations in the China - Burma - India campaign , April 1944 to August 1945 . During the operations in the Mediterranean Theater , the 58th earned the nickname " Gorillas " for the guerrilla warfare - like techniques it utilized . While operating in the various theaters , the 58th flew the P - 40 Warhawk , P - 47 Thunderbolt , and P - 38 Lightning . As a result of its superior performance , the 58th received the Distinguished Unit Citation for combat operations conducted in central Tunisia . After its service in World War II , the 58th saw a period of activation and inactivation at various Air Force installations flying both the F - 84 Thunderstreak and F - 94 Starfire . 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 . " During this period , the 58th was credited as the first temporary duty unit to down an enemy aircraft . 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 dogfight ing skills . Smallwood was later shot down and to this day remains listed as missing in action . 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 . This second kill was the last credited to the 58th during its six - month rotation in Southeast Asia . In 1979 , the 58th Fighter Squadron became the first squadron in the 33d Tactical Fighter Wing to receive the F - 15 Eagle . The 58th proved the war fighting capability of the F - 15 during its deployment to Germany for exercise Coronet Eagle . During the exercise , the 58th utilized 18 F - 15s to fly 1001 sorties in less than three weeks . The unit repeated this deployment in 1982 utilizing 24 F - 15s making it the first full F - 15 deployment in history . Ten years later , the 58th participated in Operation Just Cause where forces successfully removed Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega from power in Panama . The 58th was once again called upon in August 1990 when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait . 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 build up of coalition forces in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm . In the early morning hours of 17 January 1991 , Operation Desert Storm commenced . Captain John J . B . Kelk claimed the first aerial victory by downing the first MiG - 29 . As the war progressed , the 58th flew 1 , 689 combat sorties and destroyed 15 other enemy aircraft . During the course of the war , the 58th accomplished feats that no other coalition member matched including : the most air - to - air kills , the most double kills , and the most sorties and hours flown by any F - 15 unit in theater . The 58th also destroyed the most MiG - 29s ( a total of five ) and had the only wing commander who had an air - to - air victory . Some recent accomplishments of the 58th include : the first fighter squadron to bring the AIM - 120 Advanced Medium Range Air - to - Air Missile ( AMRAAM ) into full operation , numerous rotations to the Saudi Arabian theater supporting Operation Southern Watch by patrolling the no - fly zone , and participation in Operation Uphold Democracy where the United States helped bring control back to Haiti . 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 . Nineteen U . S . personnel were killed , twelve of which were members of the 33d Fighter Wing . The 58th Fighter Squadron operated the F - 15 Eagle to support the various combatant commander s by providing air superiority on call until September 2009 and then became DoD ' s first F - 35 Lightning II training squadron on 1 Oct . 2009 . with seven officers and one enlisted airman . Its first F - 35A is expected to arrive in the fall of 2010 . See also . Cesar Rodriguez 1979 - 2009