Early in November the clouds lifted enough to carry out the assigned missions. And Sweeney Squadron put its first marks on the combat record. Every plane that could fly was sent into the air.

Cricket took eight ships and went south across the Straits and along the north coast of Mindanao to Cagayan. Anything the enemy flew or floated was his target. Fleischman with eight was to patrol the Leyte Gulf area, with his main task to get any kamikaze before they got to the ships. Greg himself took two flights, with Todman leading the second, to patrol and look for targets of opportunities around Ormoc on the east coast of Leyte. Each plane carried two five-hundred pound bombs.

A weapons carrier took Greg, Todman, Belton, Banjo Ferguson, and Walters and the others the two miles from the bivouac area to the strip. It was a rough long ride through the mud and pot holes. No one had much to say. The sky glowered down at them. There was a feeling that this mission would be canceled like all the others and that this muddy wet dark world of combat would go on forever.

The truck dropped them off at the various revetments spread through the jungle. Donovan snatched Greg's chute from him with a belligerent motion and almost ran to the plane with it. His face was dark as the sky above it as he stood on the wing and waited for his pilot. Greg climbed into the cockpit feeling as if he had never been in one before. But his hands and those of Donovan moved automatically adjusting and arranging in the check-out procedure.