An operation to recover the downed Air Force pilot of an F-15 that crashed in Libya just before midnight Monday involved dozens of Marines, seven Marine aircraft and two dropped bombs, a senior Marine officer said.
The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., was called to perform the Tactical Recovery of Aircraft Personnel (TRAP) mission about 12:55 a.m. local time, more than an hour after the pilot and a backseat weapons officer ejected at 11:33 p.m. It’s the first high-profile TRAP mission for the U.S. military since Lejeune’s 24th MEU rescued Air Force Capt. Scott O’Grady in Bosnia in 1995, although other TRAP missions have occurred since, Marine officials said.