Rescued US F-15 airman recounts surviving shootdown, evasion in Iran mountains
A U.S. Air Force pilot recounts his harrowing experience of being shot down over Iran, surviving a failed parachute deployment, and evading capture before being rescued. The pilot credited the professionalism of his fellow service members for his survival and successful extraction.
Why it matters
The story underscores the high-stakes nature of military operations in the Middle East and the capabilities of U.S. search-and-rescue units.
One of two US airmen rescued after their F-15 was shot down over Iran described on Sunday night how he survived a failed parachute, severe injuries, and an Iranian manhunt before being recovered in one of the largest search-and-rescue operations in US military history.The pilot, identified only by his mission callsign, 'Bravo,' shared the details of his rescue on CBS's 60 Minutes."That day [April 3] was just another day in the war for us - until the moment we got hit by an Iranian weapon," the F-15 crewman said. "It was perfectly clear to me that we'd been hit because of the violence of that impact... The best way I've been able to describe that moment was: getting hit by a freight train."“The moment a PJ showed up to me on that ridgeline was one of the greatest moments of my life,” says Bravo, the U.S.
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