Quote:
Originally Posted by HorseSoldier
Rather more recently than the Marines going ashore 200 years ago, Wheelus AFB was a substantial base outside Tripoli in operation for thirty years and change, from mid-WW2 until Khadafi took power and ejected us. My understanding is that the US base was not especially unpopular prior to the ejection.
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I first learned about the existance of Wheelus AFB when I read a great novel about terrorists who captured a civilian airliner full of US citizens and held them hostage after landing them at Wheelus. The most memorable thing about the novel for me was that it was the first time I ever learned about the M551 Sheridan. In the novel a US joint ops mission is sent in to rescue the hostages. They have to defeat Libyan Army forces who are on the base tacitly defending the terrorists so USN SEALs are sent in to rescue the hostages backed up by Sheridans dropped in from cargo aircraft at extremely low altitude over the runways on that cool collapsing pallet/parachute system they used to have.
I know this novel probably sounds excellent to Paul and others. I'm really sorry but I can't remember the author or the title. I'll try using my Google-Fu to find it.