The Last Americans Leave LibyaBut it would take 37 yearsThe Wheelus PX, from the author’s collectionWhen my family moved to Tripoli in 1954, Wheelus Air Force Base was busy and thriving. The Air Force partnered with the Royal Libyan Air Force to train Libyan pilots. Qaddafi’s coupIn 1969 the aging king left Libya for medical treatment, giving a twenty-seven-year-old named Muammar Qaddafi a perfect opening to seize power. The Americans leave WheelusBy October, 1969, tensions had escalated between the new regime and the Americans. The last Americans come home 37 years laterBut as successful as Col. James was in getting the people and equipment out of Libya in 1970, not all Americans left that day.

Source: Libya Today August 15, 2022 21:18 UTC