In January 1981, the squadron were on station in the North Arabian Sea when the Iranians released 52 American hostages held since November 1979. In March, USS "Ranger" received the Humanitarian Service Medal for the rescue of 138 Vietnamese boat people after a VAQ-137 crew sighted them. In 1983, the squadron joined CVW-3 for a Mediterranean cruise aboard . In November, they participated in a coordinated French/US air strike against an Iranian training camp at Baalbek, Lebanon. In December, they participated in a strike against SAM/AAA sites east of Beirut, providing essential radar jamming.