CONFIRMED!!! F-15 Weapons Systems Officer Rescued After Massive Firefight with IRGC; UPDATED WITH DETAILS

I'm writing a new post since the last one got so messy. In fact, I've had to edit this post twice already, less than an hour after I first posted it. Never done that before, I think.

First things first, neither the Air Force nor CENTCOM has made an official announcement, but there are now multiple fairly credible reports that the Weapons System Officer from the F-15 shot down in Iran has been recovered. His condition is unknown, although several reports say he is "safe," implying that he is alive and not mortally wounded.

BREAKING: "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."

President Trump announces an American service member has been rescued from Iran, says the… pic.twitter.com/BQnXYU6LaQ— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 5, 2026

Al Jazeera is the first "mainstream" outlet reporting this news as fact, and their report cites unnamed US government officials, and not much else.

BREAKING: A US official tells Al Jazeera both crew members from a downed F-15E in Iran have been recovered after a “heavy firefight,” but the rescue operation is ongoing as teams attempt to safely exfiltrate from Iran. pic.twitter.com/GKaRWpBHbm— Al Jazeera Breaking News (@AJENews) April 5, 2026

Fox News just confirmed Al Jazeera's reporting!

Fox News can confirm that the 2nd crew member of the downed F15E fighter jet has been rescued and he and the members of the rescue team that extracted him from behind enemy lines in Iran are all safely out of Iran. That according to two senior US officials and multiple well… https://t.co/NKsLfayT53— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) April 5, 2026

Fox News can confirm that the 2nd crew member of the downed F15E fighter jet has been rescued and he and the members of the rescue team that extracted him from behind enemy lines in Iran are all safely out of Iran. That according to two senior US officials and multiple well placed sources in the region. The Weapons Systems Officer ejected along with the pilot when their F15E Strike Eagle they were flying was struck Thursday night (early Friday local time) in southwest Iran.
The WSO used the SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) training to evade capture, hiding on an elevated ridge after hiking away from the wreckage and putting out an emergency beacon.) US Special Operations rescue forces to include PJs (United States Air Force Pararescuemen (PJs) and many layers of elite rescue forces took part in the complex, layered mission to both find the crew member and also keep the Iranian forces who were hunting the American weapons system operator at bay. There are videos that have appeared from local eyewitnesses that show what appear to have been injured and dead Iranian members of the IRGC and Basij who were looking for the downed American crew member. Fox has learned there was fighting on the ground but no Americans killed during the operation. “It was a very complex operation to retrieve the downed service member,” a well placed source briefed on the operation told me. Many different branches of the US military were involved in the rescue.
Fox News can confirm the A10 Warthog that crashed Friday was involved in providing cover for the rescue teams searching for the pilot. That A10 crashed in Kuwait (first reported by ABC Friday) but the A10 pilot managed to eject safely and was rescued. There was destruction of aircraft which have sensitive equipment on board, I am told, all part of this complex CSAR (Combat Search and Rescue) mission.
The F15E was pretty much destroyed on impact. Two rescue helicopters were hit by enemy fire on Friday and crew members onboard were injured by enemy fire but managed to make it out of Iran.
There were a lot of elements to this rescue, I am told.

Two congressmen, including Elise Stephanik, had already leaked that the rescue was complete and successful, likely jumping the gun given that the White House wanted the information held close until all the ducks were in a row.

The breaking reports of the safe rescue of the F-15 WSO are a profound relief to every American. God Bless this brave servicemember who evaded capture in the most challenging circumstances and God Bless the special operations forces who put their lives on the line for this…— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) April 5, 2026

The breaking reports of the safe rescue of the F-15 WSO are a profound relief to every American. God Bless this brave servicemember who evaded capture in the most challenging circumstances and God Bless the special operations forces who put their lives on the line for this dangerous rescue mission.
It is a deeply engrained patriotic value that Americans will to go to the ends of the earth (and beyond!) and do whatever it takes including risking it all to bring their fellow Americans home.
Happy Easter, indeed. ✝️

Also reporting the safe return of the airman were two well-connected independent journalists who are deeply tied into the special forces community and well-respected by their peers. Their report came hours ago, indicating the lag time between success and everybody who needed to be informed privately being complete.

Good news for once.

F-15 WSO recovered alive. Was escaping and evading. Massive fire fight on tgt. Iranians were actively looking for him in the area.— Jack Murphy (@JackMurphyRGR) April 4, 2026

The missing WSO from the shot-down USAF F-15E is now safe and back in American hands. An officer involved in monitoring the CSAR in southern Iran describing the aviator’s incredible tenacity: “He evaded up a 7k ridge. They’ve been schwackin’ dudes chasing him all day. Was nuts.”…— Toby Harnden (@tobyharnden) April 5, 2026

Many reports of massive firefights and deaths of Basij militia have flowed in, including from Iranian government sources. A hospital in Iran has been treating many people from the fighting and has asked for blood donations, and spoke of martyrs.

BREAKING - Iranian state-affiliated channels are now confirming mass casualties in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Iran, as American and allied forces engage insurgents while attempting to reach the downed F-15 crew member. pic.twitter.com/RdbVymGyaS— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) April 5, 2026

Iranian government sources told civilians to stay at least a kilometer away from the area where a battle was raging.

🚨🇮🇷🇺🇸 BREAKING: Basij forces reportedly found bodies of their own fighters killed by guided rockets from a U.S. A-10 near the house where the second F-15E crew member was sheltering.

Reports unconfirmed.pic.twitter.com/sBF5tHolYL https://t.co/wMBfUTW2l8— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 5, 2026

The second F-15 crew member has been rescued alive and is save.

Massive gunfight at the site of the rescue.

I’ve been waiting patiently for a video of the gunfight but it’s taking a while. I will post it the moment it is authenticated. https://t.co/xEKM0s7QQz— Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) April 5, 2026

Lots of us were scouring the internet, gleaning bits and pieces of information, and, as usual, X is where you find the best and the worst of it, and sorting it out is a herculean task.

🚨 UPDATE: WSO from downed U.S. F-15E rescued inside Iran.

According to U.S. officials cited by multiple outlets, the weapons systems officer (WSO) from the F-15E shot down over Iran has now been successfully rescued by U.S. special operations forces.
•The rescue followed a…— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) April 5, 2026

🚨 UPDATE: WSO from downed U.S. F-15E rescued inside Iran.
According to U.S. officials cited by multiple outlets, the weapons systems officer (WSO) from the F-15E shot down over Iran has now been successfully rescued by U.S. special operations forces.
•The rescue followed a high-risk operation inside Iranian territory
•Both crew members are now confirmed to have survived and made contact after ejecting
•The mission came amid a race against Iranian forces searching for the downed airmen
Earlier reports had indicated:
•One crew member (pilot) was rescued shortly after the shootdown
•The WSO remained missing for over 24–36 hours during intense search efforts

Somebody at the USAF Special Forces Recruiting is going to lose their job, because a couple of hours ago, they posted about the successful rescue, and officials scrambled to disassociate the Air Force from the site. There is a reason why the government waits to release information—to ensure family members and others who need to know find out first from official channels, not rumors on the internet.

Somebody jumped the gun, fueling the frenzy of people like me searching for every scrap of information.

🚨 JUST IN: The US Air Force is DISCREDITING a post made by a supposed USAF recruiter account, which claimed our second F-15 crew member was successfully rescued, per CBS

“This account does not speak for the U.S.
Air Force and is not owned by the service,” the USAF official said
pic.twitter.com/Kixun8IXZS— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 5, 2026

I guess that is what you would call "malinformation;" it's true, but inconveniently timed.

Well, now that the president has confirmed this, we can all breathe a sigh of relief! Except that guy who is going to get fired.

UPDATE: The New York Times provides some interesting details on the rescue:

The mission to save the crew member employed hundreds of special forces troops, dozens of U.S. warplanes, helicopters, and cyber, space and other intelligence capabilities.
U.S. attack aircraft dropped bombs and opened fire on Iranian convoys to keep them away from the area where the airman was hiding. As U.S. forces converged on the downed airman, a firefight erupted, two former senior military officials briefed on the operation said.
The airman was equipped with a beacon and a secure communication device for coordinating with forces mounting the rescue.
A senior U.S. military official described the mission to rescue the airman as one of the most challenging and complex in the history of U.S. special operations.
In a final twist after the weapons officer was rescued, two transport planes that would carry the commandos and the airmen to safety got stuck at a remote base in Iran. Commanders decided to fly in three new planes to extract all the U.S. military personnel and the airmen, and they blew up the two disabled planes rather than have them fall into Iranian hands.

Well, that tells you something about how America fights wars. Hundreds of special operators, and when the C-130s (I assume) got stuck in the sand, we flew in 3 more and blew up the other two.

Awesome. We'll do anything to get our men out.

Think Vlad the Mad Putin or even Emmanuel Macron would? That would be half their air force.

MS Now’s “Palestinian” Islamic Auman Mohyeldin Hands Iran a Propaganda Lifeline While U.S. Service Member Missing.

On April 3, 2026, as Americans anxiously awaited news of a missing U.S. crew member from a fighter jet shot down over Iran, MS Now’s Egyptian-”Palestinian” Ayman Mohyeldin used his platform during an exchange with Rep. Seth Moulton to tee up a not-so-subtle narrative and worse, a nod to the enemy. [On “Chris Jansing Reports”].

While one brave American service member remains unaccounted for amid Iran’s escalating aggression in this conflict, Mohyeldin pivoted to lecture about expecting the Islamic Republic to abide by “international law.” In the same breath, he casually tossed around accusations of “war crimes” against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the U.S. military’s operations.

This was no mere slip of the tongue. ‘Mohyeldin provided, ahead of time, a pretext and excuse for Iran—the enemy.’ By preemptively smearing American leadership with loaded terms like “war crimes,” he handed the mullahs a ready-made propaganda tool to justify their barbaric treatment of any captured U.S. personnel. In other words, he prepared Iran with an alibi for their infamous routine: hostage diplomacy, show trials, torture, and the kind of savage mistreatment they regularly inflict even on their own people.

The Islamic Republic has a long, blood-soaked track record of flouting every civilized norm—funding global terrorism, executing dissidents at home, and now hunting down American pilots. Yet here we see a prominent voice in American media effectively priming the pump for the enemy, giving them rhetorical cover before the dust even settles on the battlefield.

In a time of real conflict, with American lives on the line, the priority should be unambiguous support for our troops and maximum pressure on the enemy—not equivocating or handing the ayatollahs any propaganda lifeline. ‘Mohyeldin’s ahead-of-time pretext for Iran, the enemy’, reveals more about the media’s reflexive anti-American instincts than it does about the realities on the ground. Our service members deserve better than to have their mission undermined by talking heads at home who seem more eager to blame America first.

The men and women in uniform are defending this nation. The legacy media should stand with them—not with the regime that wants us dead.
(4.3.26)
http://disq.us/p/35fxdy5

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UPDATED ALREADY!