US Air Force officer survives '50 hours' after being shot down over Iran: CBS News

Washington DC : A US Air Force colonel survived nearly 50 hours behind Iranian lines after his F-15E fighter jet was shot down in April, before being rescued in an operation involving US military and intelligence personnel, according to CBS News' "60 Minutes" show. The officer, identified by his mission call sign "Bravo" because of security concerns, was the weapons-systems officer aboard the two-seat fighter jet. The aircraft, operating under the mission call sign "Dude 44", was reported to be shot down by an "Iranian shoulder-fired missile" on April 2 during a mission near Isfahan. According to CBS News, the aircraft was conducting a strike against industrial facilities linked to Iran's drone and missile programme. Bravo and the pilot, identified as "Alpha", ejected after the aircraft was hit and became separated during the descent.Bravo's parachute was damaged, causing him to fall at an estimated 70-100 miles per hour before landing in a mountainous desert area. He suffered injuries including a broken back, arm and shoulder."At one point when I looked up and saw no parachute, that was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen," Bravo told '60 Minutes' in his first public account of the incident."So I paused, right then, and I prayed, 'Lord, your will be done. But if I'm getting through this, I need help, " he said.CBS News reported that Bravo landed around five miles from Alpha and moved away from the crash site despite his injuries. He eventually climbed towards a 7,000-foot ridgeline and remained concealed in the mountainous terrain.Alpha was rescued during a US operation several hours after the aircraft was shot down, but the rescue team was unable to locate Bravo and withdrew, according to the report.US War Secretary Pete Hegseth said he was informed of the incident after the aircraft went down and ordered preparations to locate the crew."Whether they're alive or not, we're going to go get them," Hegseth said, according to CBS News.As per the CBS show, the search became a race against time as Iranian forces also looked for the downed US airmen. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iranian ground forces had come within a few hundred metres of Bravo."There was clear intent out of the Iranian ground force to come find those two guys," Caine said.Bravo was eventually able to communicate with US forces and indicate that he was injured but moving. CBS News reported that the CIA subsequently used a combination of intelligence capabilities and a deception operation to help locate him.The US military also carried out strikes against Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces near the area where Bravo was hiding before sending another rescue team, according to the CBS report.More than 90 US service members were deployed on the ground during the operation, while hundreds of personnel were involved in the air and several thousand others provided support, CBS News reported. The rescue force used search-and-rescue aircraft and smaller helicopters to reach Bravo in the mountainous terrain.Bravo recalled seeing the rescue team approach him as "one of the greatest moments of my life".When his rescuers reached him, he said, his response was brief, "Let's go."The operation faced another setback after two US aircraft landed on a makeshift desert airstrip and became stuck in the sand. CBS News reported that the US military later destroyed the stranded aircraft and helicopters to prevent sensitive equipment from being captured.Bravo was finally evacuated from Iran as the sun rose on Easter Sunday, approximately 50 hours after the aircraft was shot down.Reflecting on his experience, Bravo said the incident involved not only his survival but also the efforts of those involved in the rescue."It's a story of the teamwork, the training, of the faith, of the decisions and the leadership to do something that will live in history as an example of what America's willing to do, in order to uphold our promise and leave no man behind," he said. Regarding the operation, Trump had said on April 5 that the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring search-and-rescue operations.He said, "WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Office Members, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is SAFE and SOUND!"The two crew members of the F-15E Strike Eagle, the first lost to an Iranian strike in the monthlong war, had both ejected from the cockpit on April 3 after Iran's military struck their plane. The jet's pilot was quickly rescued, but its weapons systems officer could not be found, setting off an urgent search with major consequences for Trump and the war that the United States and Israel launched on February 28, as per the New York Times. In April, Iran asserted it will "achieve complete control" of its airspace after claiming to have shot down multiple US fighter jets amid the ongoing conflict in the region, Iranian state media Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported, highlighting the role of its modern air defence systems in challenging US aerial operations against the Islamic Republic. The interview comes as the Iranian and US enter the seventh month of the conflict.