58th Operations Group The 58th Operations Group ( 58 OG ) is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 58th Special Operations Wing . It is stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base , New Mexico . During World War II , the units predecessor unit , the 58th Fighter Group operated primarily in the Southwest Pacific Theater as part of Fifth Air Force . The unit received a Distinguished Unit Citation strafing a Japanese naval force off Mindoro in the Philippines on 26 December 1944 to prevent destruction . During the Korean War , the unit bombed and strafed enemy airfields and installations and supported UN ground forces , remaining in South Korea after the 1953 Armistice . Overview . The 58 OG trains mission - ready special operations , combat search and rescue ( CSAR ) and airlift aircrews in the UH - 1H / N , HH - 60G , HC - 130N / P , MC - 130P , MC - 130H , CV - 22 and corresponding simulators ; provides Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training - Helicopter ; conducts special operations and CSAR intelligence training ; responds to contingencies and humanitarian missions . Its component squadrons are : History . From beginning of World War II until 1943 , served as replacement training unit for fighter pilots . Trained for combat and moved overseas to Southwest Pacific Theater in 1943 . Began combat operations in February 1944 , providing protection for U . S . bases and escorting transports initially , then escorting bombers over New Guinea and sea convoys to Admiralty Islands . From Noemfoor , bombed and strafed Japanese airfields and installations on Ceram , Halmahera , and the Kai Islands . Moved to the Philippines in Nov , flew fighter sweeps against enemy airfields , supported U . S . ground forces , and protected sea convoys and transport routes . Earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for strafing a Japanese naval force that was attacking a U . S . base on Mindoro on 26 December 1944 . Beginning in July 1945 , attacked railways , airfields , and enemy installations in Korea and Kyushu , Japan from Okinawa . After V - J Day , flew reconnaissance missions over Japan . Moved without personnel or equipment to the Philippines in Dec to be inactivated in January 1946 . Korean War . Activated in Korea during the Korean War , absorbed the personnel and equipment of the 136th Fighter - Bomber Group , then provided close air support for UN ground forces and attacked enemy airfields and installations . Having entered the war with slow , short - ranged F - 84D ThunderJets , the 58 FBG transitioned in late 1952 to the new " G " model , designed with more speed and range . New targets included enemy ports , railroads , and airfields . The group attacked the major supply port of Sinuiju in September , inflicting heavy damage without loss of personnel or aircraft . Combining with other fighter - bomber units , it attacked the Kumgang Political School at Odong - ni in October 1952 and the North Korean tank and infantry school at Kangso in February 1953 . In May , the 58th FBG bombed North Korean dams , flooding enemy lines of communication and rice fields . On 27 July 1953 , attacked runway at Kanggye and , with the 49 FBG , bombed Sunan Airfield for the final action of fighter - bombers in the Korean War . Earned a second DUC for its actions in the last three months of the war . After the war , provided air defense for South Korea and deployed tactical components on rotational basis to Taiwan , January 1955 – February 1957 . In October 1958 , armed with tactical missiles to provide air defense of South Korea until 1962 . Modern era . From October 1991 , conducted combat crew training for F - 15E aircrews and F - 16 pilots ; F - 16C / D squadrons had a secondary , wartime mission of augmenting national air defenses . Early in 1993 , added a mission of training international ( Republic of Singapore ) pilots in F - 16 A / B aircraft , the first one arriving in March 1993 . The next month , the group lost its wartime mission . In April 1994 , gave up fighter pilot training function and moved without personnel or equipment from Luke to Kirtland AFB , NM , taking over the resources of the 542 Crew Training Wing ( which inactivated ) . Trained aircrews in special operations and in search , rescue , and recovery . Additional missions included training pararescue and combat control teams , deploying personnel and equipment to support contingencies , and conducting search and rescue missions at request of local authorities . The 58 OG also accomplished all USAF undergraduate helicopter training via the 23 Flying Training Flight ( later , Squadron ) at Fort Rucker , AL . On 11 September 2001 , after terrorists hijacked four civilian airliners and flew three of them into buildings in New York and Washington , the group airlifted a federal task force to Pennsylvania to investigate the crash site of the fourth airliner . Deployed personnel to support combat operations in Afghanistan ( 2001 – ) and Iraq ( 2003 – ) .