US Airman Survives 50 Hours Behind Iranian Lines After Jet Shot Down

A U.S. Air Force colonel survived nearly 50 hours behind Iranian lines after his F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down in April, leading to a large-scale rescue operation that marked the first acknowledged U.S. boots on the ground in Iran in 46 years. The weapons systems officer, identified by his mission call sign "Bravo," was rescued on Easter Sunday after evading Iranian forces in mountainous terrain with severe injuries. The incident occurred on April 2 when the F-15E, conducting a strike on facilities linked to Iran's drone and missile program near Isfahan, was hit by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile. The pilot, call sign "Alpha," and Bravo ejected, landing about five miles apart. Alpha was rescued in a separate operation several hours later, while Bravo remained at large. Bravo's parachute was damaged during ejection, causing him to plummet at an estimated 70 to 100 mph. He suffered a broken back, arm, and shoulder. "At one point when I looked up and saw no parachute, that was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen," Bravo recounted in his first public interview.