


His tenure as Wardog Squadron's leader, however, came to an abrupt end, after he was shot down by another approaching enemy wave. Shortly after becoming airborne, Lieutenant Colonel Ford entered the airspace to assume command of Wardog Squadron, and requested their help to cover his landing despite repeated warnings from his wingmen and base personnel. With no other choice, Wardog protected him from a new wave of reinforcements until he successfully took off. Amid the chaos of the battle, a pilot was spotting leaving a hangar in the captain's spare plane. Wardog were scrambled during a brief pause following a first bombing wave, and began engaging the Yuktobanian bombers and fighters above the base. However, Sand Island was unexpectedly attacked by Yuktobanian forces, and all pilots were scrambled to defend against the attack. After the Yuktobanian Air Force failed to destroy the OFS Kestrel, the Wardog Squadron returned to Sand Island Air Force Base.
