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It's 2 a.m. on April 15, 1986.

Colonel Arnie Franklin is strapped into the cockpit of an F-111,

one of America's top-of-the-line combat aircraft.

Sitting next to him is a weapons system officer.

They are flying in complete darkness.

But Colonel Franklin is not alone.

He is just one of 18 F-111's out on a covert mission to bomb Tripoli, the capital of Libya.

As the planes fly over the inky black waters of the Strait of Gibraltar,

Colonel feels his pulse quickened.

He's closing in on his target, a house inside central Tripoli,

home to Libyan dictator Momar Kadavi.

Off the coast of Libya, Colonel Franklin brings his craft down until it's just 200 feet over the water.

60 seconds away from the target, the F-111's computer locks onto the coordinates of the site.

Countdown begins, and Colonel Franklin watches the screen intently,

as it ticks ever closely to the moment in which he presses a button

and the bombs plummet below.

Then Colonel Franklin sharply pulls the nose of the F-111 up,

as they rapidly climb higher to avoid the explosion.

Meanwhile, the weapons service officer uses a laser to guide the bombs to target.

...