Airman: Survival in Iran Was 'Modern-Day Miracle'

An American airman who fell from the sky over Iran with a shredded parachute says he survived on training, grit, and prayer. In an interview with CBS News' 60 Minutes, the Air Force weapons-systems officer—identified only by his call sign, "Bravo," from the F-15E mission "Dude 44"—recounts ejecting after an Iranian shoulder-fired missile hit his jet during an April strike near Isfahan, then plummeting at an estimated 70–100 mph. After struggling with his damaged parachute, he landed hard in what he describes as a valley with "amazing craggly cliffs" on either side.

He broke his back, arm, and shoulder, yet still climbed a 7,000-foot ridge to avoid capture. "Never let a lack of motivation put you on Iranian TV," he says. The Pentagon, CIA, and an array of US special operations units then mounted what officials describe as one of the most complex rescues in modern US military history—daytime firefights to retrieve the pilot, "Alpha," a CIA deception campaign to misdirect Iranian troops, precision strikes on Revolutionary Guard units, and a clandestine nighttime mission that put US personnel on the ground in Iran for the first time in decades. Fifty hours after being shot down, Bravo was airborne again.

Bravo describes his survival as a "modern-day miracle." "I believe that it's a testament to God's provision in my life to bring me through that moment in a way that didn't prevent injuries, but prevented any catastrophic injuries that would have affected my ability to survive," he says. Bravo says that when he saw his rescuers, it was one of the greatest moments of his life.

• Alpha declined 60 Minutes' request for an interview. In a statement, he said he is "still in awe of the professionalism and tactical prowess" of those involved in the rescue mission. "Words cannot capture how thankful my family and I are and how proud I am to serve alongside each and every one of them."
• Sources tell CNN that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and political appointees in his department pushed hard for both airmen to take part in the 60 Minutes interview, but after the airmen voiced concerns, Hegseth met with them and said participation was voluntary. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell blasted the CNN report as a "complete lie."