@karlaokanekarla o'kane
After reveling #Gadhafi's death, fighters near #Sirte quietly go home #cnnedition.cnn.com/2011/10/21/wor…
Near Sirte, Libya (CNN) -- One day ago, this outpost on the outskirts of Sirte was the scene of unbridled euphoria as revolutionary fighters captured their greatest prize -- deposed ruler Moammar Gadhafi.
But after the death of the longtime ruler, most of the roughly 500 members of the "Lions of the Wadi" brigade -- who had converted an abandoned resort west of Sirte into their temporary headquarters -- packed up their belongings Friday and quietly drove home to Misrata.
Like many of the revolutionary fighters across Libya, these men aren't really soldiers. They are engineers, doctors, teachers, businessmen -- everyday people united by the common goal of ending Gadhafi's 42-year dictatorship.
For months, they battled better-trained, better-armed pro-Gadhafi forces, despite being hamstrung by a lack of organization and training on heavy weaponry. Then, with the help of NATO airstrikes, revolutionaries managed the seemingly impossible -- toppling Gadhafi's four-decade regime.
