A heroic mission was carried out over Easter weekend to rescue two American F-15 fighter pilots whose jet went down deep inside enemy territory in Iran while participating in Operation Epic Fury. Both members of the crew ejected from the aircraft and landed alive on Iranian soil.
President Donald Trump made the decision to order U.S. armed forces to do whatever was necessary to bring America’s brave warriors back home. It was a risky decision, he said. “But in the United States military, we leave no American behind.”
Within hours, the U.S. deployed 21 military aircraft into hostile airspace, many flying at very low altitude and being shot at.
This first wave of search-and-rescue forces successfully located the pilot of the F-15, and he was extracted from enemy territory by a helicopter as U.S. warriors faced gunfire at very close range.
Meanwhile, the second crew member had landed a significant distance away from the pilot. It turns out he was injured and stranded in an area teeming with terrorists from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Despite the peril, the officer followed his training and climbed to a higher altitude to evade capture.
“When he was finally able to activate his emergency transponder, his first message was simple, and it was powerful,” said Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. “He sent a message: ‘God is good.’ In that moment of isolation and danger, his faith and fighting spirit shone through.”
The second rescue mission involved 155 aircraft, including four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refueling tankers, 13 rescue aircraft, and more.
“In a breathtaking show of skill and precision, lethality, and force, America’s military descended on the area . . . engaged the enemy, rescued the stranded officer, destroyed all threats, and exited Iranian territory while taking no casualties of any kind,” said Secretary Hegseth.
The CIA played a critical role locating the airman, deploying both human assets and exquisite technologies that no other intelligence service in the world possesses. CIA also executed a deception campaign to confuse the Iranians who were desperately hunting for the U.S. airman.
To the rescued airmen and their families, Secretary Hegseth said, “Welcome home. Your courage and endurance, the quiet declaration of faith amid the storm, inspires us all. God is good every day.”
“And to our adversaries watching from Tehran, let this be a clear message. The United States military will go anywhere, at any time, to protect our own and complete the mission.”
“These two operations reflect our nation’s most sacred obligation to our military service members,” declared General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We leave no one behind. It also perfectly captures the first truth of our special operations forces — that people are more important than hardware. That is the standard we live by, and the rescue forces that execute these missions operate under a clear motto: ‘These things we do that others may live.’”