Revealed: How the Marines rescued the downed pilot in Libya

When they shined a laser down to look for people, they saw one of the pilots hiding behind a bush. The pilot was not wearing any night vision goggles, they noticed.

The pilot was uncertain whether nearby villagers were friendly to Americans or to Gadhafi. He sounded “frazzled,” Kolle and Abdrejack said.

Even before they were on the ground, he bolted toward the Osprey aircraft with his hands above his head so no one would think he was hostile.