US airman rescued from Iran shares unbelievable tale of survival with ‘60 Minutes’: ‘Most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen’

New York Post ^ | Sep. 13, 2026 | Zoe Hussain

[nickcarraway]

The US Air Force colonel rescued from Iran in April revealed Sunday that the “most terrifying moment” of surviving nearly two days on enemy lines was plummeting to earth with a damaged parachute after his F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down.

The weapons systems officer — identified only by the mission call sign Dude 44 Bravo — spoke publicly about his unbelievable tale of survival for the first time in an interview with CBS “60 Minutes” host Norah O’Donnell for the show’s 59th season premiere Sunday evening.

Bravo’s plane was shot down by an Iranian with a shoulder-fired missile on April 3, and crashed in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province in the southwestern part of Iran near Iraq. The impact of the missile was like “getting hit by a freight train,” Bravo said.

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TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Iran; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 60minutes; airman; iran

[Jonty30]

Thank the Iranian peoole. They filled the streets in all the towns in the area to slow down the IRGC.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Video Transcript Summary

Detailed summary of the 60 Minutes interview with “Bravo” (weapons systems officer of F-15E “Dude-44”)

In April, roughly five weeks into a costly and unpopular war, an American F-15E Strike Eagle (call sign Dude-44) was shot down by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile while flying a nighttime mission over a mountainous desert region south of Isfahan, Iran. The two-man crew—pilot “Alpha” and weapons systems officer “Bravo”—ejected and landed miles apart. Both quickly had Iranian bounties on their heads. What followed was one of the largest combat search-and-rescue operations in U.S. military history, lasting about 50 hours. This was Bravo’s first public interview about the ordeal; he had previously discussed details only with medical staff and close friends.

The shoot-down and ejection

Bravo described the F-15E as America’s premier “war horse”—twin-engine, twin-crew, long-range, heavily armed. He and Alpha had never flown together before, which is not unusual given standardized training. The jet was hit with extreme violence that Bravo likened to being struck by a freight train. Systems failed catastrophically, including damage to Bravo’s ejection seat. Despite the damage, the seat performed beyond design specifications thanks to the maintainers’ work; Bravo credits them with saving his life. The crew ejected almost simultaneously (with a slight staggered timing for safety), and Bravo found himself parachuting over the heart of Iran.

His parachute was damaged in the initial attack. At one point he looked up and saw none, an experience he called the most terrifying of his life. He prayed, “Lord, your will be done. But if I’m getting through this, I need help,” and worked to unfurl or free the canopy using SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) training. He hit the ground at an estimated 70–100 mph. Injuries included a broken back, broken arm, broken shoulder, sprained ankle, and bleeding cuts and scrapes to the head and face. He attributes survival—without catastrophic injuries that would have prevented movement—to a “modern-day miracle” and God’s provision, supported by medical records and equipment evidence.

Evasion on the ground

Bravo immediately moved away from the landing site despite his injuries, guided by SERE priorities: distance from the enemy, concealment, communication opportunities, and defeating detection. He had no full survival kit (it was lost with the damaged seat) but carried a survival vest with limited water, basic signaling/communication gear, and tools. He treated external bleeding when possible and adapted movement to internal injuries. Iran is vast (comparable to Alaska), with high-desert valleys and craggy cliffs; Bravo chose higher ground for better survival odds and climbed a roughly 7,000-foot ridgeline. His motivation: “Never let a lack of motivation put you on Iranian TV.” He applied the warrior ethos he had instilled in his airmen, determined to match the standard he had preached.

He delayed radio contact until he reached concealment, then transmitted whenever feasible without compromising evasion. Iranian forces and armed groups actively hunted him (news anchors announced bounties; videos of search parties circulated). U.S. sources later said Iranians came within a few hundred meters. Bravo was armed and prepared for close contact but focused only on controllable next steps rather than worst-case outcomes. He endured cold, wind, and exposure on the high cliffs with minimal gear, almost no food or water, for a full additional day and night after Alpha’s rescue.

Witnessing Alpha’s rescue

About six hours after the shoot-down, U.S. forces rescued Alpha in a risky daytime operation involving helicopters (part of a larger 21-aircraft effort) that took fire; declassified video showed the raid. From his ridgeline vantage, Bravo watched and called it “the proudest dad moment of my life” (with apologies to his actual children). Many of the rescuers were from his own unit. Seeing them uphold the “so that others may live” ethos reinforced his belief that America keeps its promises and boosted his will to survive. The same force searched unsuccessfully for Bravo and withdrew. That evening Bravo sent messages including “I’m hurt. I’m moving. God is good,” reflecting on the successive miracles of surviving the missile strike, the high-speed impact, and ongoing evasion.

Final rescue and extraction

The CIA ran a multi-pronged effort that included deception to confuse Iranian forces and specialized technology to pinpoint Bravo. American bombers and drones struck nearby Revolutionary Guard units to clear the area (newly declassified video shows the strikes). Nearly two days after the shoot-down, rescue forces arrived on two large search-and-rescue aircraft that landed on a makeshift desert airstrip, then deployed small Little Bird helicopters to reach Bravo’s ridgeline. Declassified video shows Bravo waiting; elite Air Force pararescue jumpers (PJs) reached him. He described their arrival as one of the greatest moments of his life and simply said “Let’s go.”At the airstrip the planes’ landing gear became stuck in sand. A clandestine U.S. Air Force unit extracted Bravo and more than 90 special operators. The U.S. then bombed its own stranded aircraft to prevent technology from falling into Iranian hands. Bravo was safely recovered as the sun rose on Easter Sunday—about 50 hours after being shot down. He later called his wife; he praised her strength and emphasized that entire families serve when service members deploy.

Reflections

Bravo stressed that the story is not primarily about him but about teamwork, rigorous training, faith, leadership, and the U.S. commitment to leave no one behind. He never doubted rescue would come. Faith underpinned his actions as a “backstop” to training rather than a substitute for it. He intends to continue serving. Alpha (back flying) declined an interview but issued a statement expressing awe at the professionalism of the combat search-and-rescue specialists and joint force, both in theater and behind the scenes, and profound gratitude from his family.

Throughout, Bravo repeatedly credited maintainers, SERE trainers, the rescue force, PJs, the broader joint team, and the support of the American people and families. He remains recovering from injuries but is overall doing well and deeply grateful.

[21twelve]

“In April, roughly five weeks into a costly and unpopular war...”

These writers never stop.

I recall watching an old news video of the first major combat in Vietnam in the Ia Drang Valley (”We were soldiers once and young”).

While that battle was a victory for the U.S., it did come at a cost of life for our guys; as war does. One of the correspondents (a well-know broadcaster later on - I forget who though now) said something like: “And while the Army claims a victory, it remains to be seen how long the parents back home will put up with having their sons return home in body bags.”

The very first battle!

[21twelve]

Mother-in-law had 60 minutes on - it was an interesting show. When I read the news when it happened on FR my reaction was “Great - they got them out.” Not really thinking too much about it.

After watching the show I’m struck by how much effort it really took to get him out. 90 boots on the ground - all putting themselves in harm’s way. Thousands in the air and command posts.

I wonder if that display of humanity ever enters into the enemies’ heads? “Gee - maybe USA is a good place? If something like that happened to me nobody would spend that kind of effort to save me.”