Bullets flew at him. The gunfire grew so intense that James Foley collapsed to the ground for protection. His mind went blank. The shooting continued.

Foley, a 1996 Marquette graduate and correspondent for the GlobalPost, was in Libya, covering what had started off as peaceful protests but then erupted into a civil war—Muammar Qaddafi’s regime versus Libyan rebels.

At the time, Foley and three other journalists, Clare Morgana Gillis, an American freelance journalist; Manu Brabo, a Spanish photojournalist; and Anton Hammerl, a South African photojournalist, were traveling with a group of Libyan rebels just outside Brega, Libya.

Shortly after rebels alerted them that Gaddafi forces were approaching the area, Foley heard heavy shooting.

“That’s when I realized it was all going downhill. It was a really bad realization,” he said. “We were all being shot at.”

Gaddafi forces were upon them.

“My mind was trying to think of ways out. I was thinking, ‘Maybe it’s a mistake. Maybe they think that we’re rebels.’ My body was just trying to keep out of the line of fire,” Foley said. “It’s like my mind couldn’t keep up with what my body needed to do.”

Foley, who does not speak Arabic, could only recognize a few Arabic words. He desperately tried to explain he was a journalist by showing the gunmen his camera.

In the midst of the shooting, Hammerl was shot. Foley shouted out to his friend and fellow reporter but Hammerl could barely respond. His body was left in the sand as Foley, Brabo and Gillis were beaten, tied up and thrown into a van.

“That is a day I’ll regret for the rest of my life,” Foley said.

The three were first taken to a house in Brega, and were then transferred to a prison in Sirte for two days. From there, they moved through a series of prisons in Tripoli.

Foley said they were treated humanely by Gaddafi’s regime, but that the frightening part was the unknown.

“We just didn’t know what was going to happen next,” Foley said.

To pass time, Foley prayed every day. “I started praying the rosary. I prayed for a miracle. I prayed to keep from despairing,” he said. “All you had was your faith.”

Finally, on April 23, a miracle happened. He was able to call his mother. “Can’t you feel all the prayers coming your way?” Diane Foley asked her son. “Your friends at Marquette are having a vigil for you,” she said.

“I took that with me back to my cell and it kept me smiling on the inside,” Foley said.

Thomas Durkin, a 1996 Marquette graduate and close friend of Foley, helped to spread Foley’s story throughout the country.

“People from Marquette would call me to ask what they could do to help,” Durkin said.

Durkin started a petition, which ended up with close to 40,000 signatures. Pretty soon, America seemed to know who Foley was.

“His story spread like wildfire,” Durkin said. “It was kind of insane.”

While Foley’s story was made national, it also caught the attention of the Hungarian Embassy, who had already been helping European Union citizens with diplomatic issues.

“That was our first ray of hope,” Foley said.

Another one of Foley’s friends, Peter Pedraza, a 1997 Marquette graduate, was constantly trying to spread Foley’s story. Pedraza called news stations, reporters and sent emails every day to people he knew.

“You never know who knows who,” Pedraza said. “It was one of these things where you really see the wheels of government, media and influential people working towards a goal: getting these Americans out.”

Finally, on May 18, Libyans moved the three journalists out of detainment and to a hotel in Tripoli. From there, the Hungarian Embassy transferred Foley and Gillis across the border into Tunisia (Brabo was handled by Spanish diplomats).

It was at the hotel in Tunisia where Foley gained Internet access and realized the enormity of support he had been receiving throughout the entire experience.

“I just thought, ‘What in the world?’ I was so blown away and so humbled. It was amazing,” he said.

“Everyone who had ever known him went to bat for him,” Pedraza said.

Finally, after 44 days in captivity, Foley flew home on May 21.

When asked about his future in conflict journalism, he said, “Reporting is what I enjoy doing. I find passion in the stories and this is what I’m interested in.”

Foley is now back in Libya, finishing what he started.

Q&A with James Foley

Marquette Journal: How has Marquette affected you throughout this whole experience?

James Foley: Marquette was very influential initially because it is what made me so interested in liberal arts and service. Throughout my stay in Libya, Marquette was huge. Huge. I had friends behind me 100 percent of the way and overwhelming support.

MJ: Where did you live when you were a student?

JF: My freshman year I lived in O’Donnell Hall. You build such close friendships there. It’s just a bunch of idiots running around having fun. Some of my buddies and I still get together — about 20 of us guys. Sophomore year I lived in Schroeder Hall and my junior and senior I lived in Campus Town. And this is when they were new. I feel old.

MJ: What about classes … any favorites?

JF: I really enjoyed this Russian history class I had with Dr. Alan Ball. It really got me interested in history. I also took a German philosophy class. I loved it but didn’t really understand it. I had fun trying to understand it.

MJ: Where did you like to eat on campus?

JF: We loved going to Real Chili.

MJ: Did you and your friends have a favorite bar?

JF: Jim Hegarty’s Pub was the bar back in the day.

MJ: What were your most memorable moments at Marquette?

JF: There are so many. It’s a place where you could really develop strong friendships. I loved the bar scenes on the weekend but the volunteering aspect also really influenced me.