A crew member of a F-15E fighter jet shot down by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces was rescued Sunday night. The F-15E was shot down in a remote area of southwestern Iran Friday, with IRGC forces quickly taking the credit for the attack.
U.S. forces quickly converged on the area to rescue the pilot, and found themselves under fire, per a report from CBS News. Later on Friday, two military helicopters swooped in, picked up the pilot, and escaped the area with him onboard while taking enemy fire. One of the U.S. choppers was struck by “small arms fire,” wounding crew members onboard.
While the pilot was brought to safety, the downed jet’s weapons systems officer — wounded from the attack — was left to fend for himself in the mountains, according to Axios.
IRGC forces rushed to the area to capture the missing officer. Despite his injuries, he managed to evade enemy capture for over a day.
Since the two F-15E crew members remained connected via their shared comms systems, U.S. forces were able to locate the weapons systems officer on Saturday.
A “specialized commando unit” entered the region covered by U.S. air support that “unleashed a hail of heavy fire” to conduct the rescue, per Axios.
IRGC forces did manage to strike a U.S. Blackhawk that took part in the effort, but it managed to fly on despite multiple crew members sustaining injuries.
The second F-15E crew member was rescued hours later on Sunday morning.
President Donald Trump shared about the historic rescue shortly thereafter via his Truth Social account.
“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,” Trump wrote.
“This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour, but was never truly alone because his Commander in Chief, Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and fellow Warfighters were monitoring his location 24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue.
“WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND! The fact that we were able to pull off both of these operations, without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded, just proves once again, that we have achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies… We truly have the best, most professional, and lethal Military in the History of the World. GOD BLESS AMERICA, GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS, AND HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!”
According to retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, Friday’s attack marks the first time in two decades that a U.S. fighter jet has been shot down in combat.
Three other U.S. fighter jets have been shot down since the Iran war began on Feb. 28, but those were all the result of friendly-fire incidents, according to the Pentagon.
The war’s escalation appears to be fastly approaching a pinnacle.
On Saturday as the rescue effort was ongoing, President Trump threatened that “hell will reign down” on the Iranian regime if it doesn’t agree to open the Straight of Hormuz — a key global oil checkpoint in the region — within 48 hours.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
