17 NOVEMBER 1944
Captain Clarence L. Solander, pilot of "Daylight Two Two" with Lieutenant Colonel Wallace S. Ford as copilot, took off from Pitoe strip at 0545 on a special mission with fighter cover to search around Taland Island and the Southwest coast of Mindanao. They circled contact point "A" on the North coast of Mindanao, dropped message and then went on to the West coast of Negros where they sighted three survivors. Captain Solander landed, took the survivors aboard, then returned to contact point "A", unloaded supplies and took off for his base at 1130. Survivor, Ensign John Drex, USNR, stated that while on a strafing mission over an airfield on Negros the oil line on his engine was damaged by enemy fire when he attacked a Jap bomber which fell into the sea in flames. He saw three zeros coming toward him, so he turned into them, and shot the first one down, but the other two got on his tail and he dove for the deck, finally crash landing in a rice paddy on Negros near Kamalishas. Ensign Drex was stunned and otherwise uninjured. Natives assisted him out of the plane and took him to the Governor who cared for him until he was able to travel. He remained  with the Governor from 13 September until 22 October 1944, when he made his way Southward by mule and caribou to the rendezvous point. He was on the trip three weeks. Ensign Drex obtained valuable information during his stay on Negros.

The following was written up by the Operations Officer after debriefing the crew and submitted with Squadron History:

0545:	Take off Pitoe Strip
0550:	Received instructions to call atom
0600:	Received message "Fighter cover Daylight 21 Cancelled, proceed on special search."
0615:	Heard Eggnog attepmting to contact Martini.
0800:	Searched around islands NW of Talaud, a white man was thought to have been seen.
0900:	Searched SW coast of Mindanao. No sightings.
1000:	Circled contact pt, dropped a message proceeded Contact Pt. 2.
1100:	Followed the coast of Negros until we located our party standing on shore waving American Flag. We landed just off shore and the survivors were taken out the ship by natives in canoes. The survivors were T/Sgt Robert H. Mahanes, 23rd Bomb Sq., S/Sgt Johun Duarte, 23td Bomb Sq., Ensign John W. Brex USNR VF15-CV9.
1130:	Were airborne and returning to contact point #1, where we landed, unloded supplies and took off again.
1745:	Landed at Morotai.

RESCUED CREWMEMBERS:  23rd Bomb Squadron - T/Sgt Robert H. Mahanes, S/Sgt Johun Duarte, Ensign John T. Drex, USNR - VF15-CV9

AIRCRAFT TYPE: OA-10A* 
USAAF SERNO: 44-33875 (CV-325)** ("Axle Ass Annie") 
CALLSIGN:  "Daylight 22"
 CREW: (Pilot) Cpt Clarence L. Solander; (CP) Lt Col. Wallace S. Ford; (Navigator) 2nd Lt. Charles Carver, (Engineer) Tech Sergeant John Y. Cunningham Jr.; (Radio) Tech Sergeant Cecil L. Gordy; (Radar) Staff Sergeant John T. Smith Jr., (Flight Surgeon) Major Donald D. Corlett