 Major MacLaughlin was met by the Chief of Staff of the Fourth Marine Base Defense Air Wing (MBDAW) Colonel Lawrence Burke, who informed him that VMF-422 was to fly to the island of Funafuti, 820 miles to the southeast to await their role in Operation Flintlock, the invasion of the Marshall Islands, scheduled for 3 February.MacLaughlin was provided with weather, navigational and radio code information for the flight.An escort plane was standard Navy policy for single-engine fighters going on long, over-water flights.