President Donald Trump early Sunday celebrated what he described as a “miraculous” and daring rescue of a second crew member from a downed F-15 fighter jet in Iran, highlighting both the skill of U.S. forces and the intensity of the ongoing conflict.
“WE GOT HIM!” Trump declared in a Truth Social post, announcing that the service member—stranded deep behind enemy lines—had been successfully recovered after a complex military operation. According to the president, the airman had landed in the mountainous terrain of Iran and was being actively pursued by the country’s theocratic regime.
Trump said the rescued crew member, identified as a highly respected colonel, is now “SAFE and SOUND,” despite sustaining injuries. He emphasized that the mission was carried out under his direction, with dozens of aircraft deployed to extract the serviceman from hostile territory. The president also noted that no American troops were killed or wounded during the operation.
The dramatic rescue follows the successful recovery of another crew member from the same incident just one day earlier. Trump underscored the rarity of such an outcome, stating it was the “first time in military memory” that two American pilots had been rescued separately from deep within enemy territory.
“This is a moment that ALL Americans… should be proud of and united around,” Trump wrote, praising the U.S. military as the most capable and professional force in the world. He pointed to the mission as evidence of overwhelming American air dominance over Iranian skies.
Details of the operation began to emerge shortly after the president’s announcement. Jennifer Griffin, chief national security correspondent for Fox News, described the rescue as a “complex, layered mission,” underscoring the level of coordination required.
Additional reporting from Barak Ravid of Axios indicated that the crew member, a weapons systems officer, had managed to evade capture in the mountains for more than a day despite being wounded. He was reportedly able to move on foot after ejecting from the aircraft on Friday.
Ravid further reported that the Central Intelligence Agency played a critical role in the mission, employing a deception campaign to mislead Iranian forces. According to one senior Trump administration official, false information was spread suggesting U.S. troops had already located the airman and were moving him out of the country. This effort, combined with the agency’s “unique capabilities,” helped pinpoint the serviceman’s location—described as finding the “ultimate needle in a haystack.”
Griffin added that the crew member relied on Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training to avoid capture, taking refuge along an elevated ridge after distancing himself from the crash site and activating an emergency beacon.
While the successful rescue stands as a testament to the precision and reach of U.S. forces, it also serves as a reminder of the risks inherent in modern warfare. Operations of this scale, carried out deep inside hostile territory, underscore both the extraordinary capabilities of the military and the dangerous stakes involved when conflicts escalate.
The rescue took place 36 days after the start of Operation Epic Fury, as tensions with Iran continue to test the limits of strategy, strength, and restraint.
[READ MORE: White House Goes Quiet as War Escalates, Raising Questions Amid High-Stakes Conflict]
