A U.S. Air Force weapons systems officer shot down over Iran in April credits answered prayer for getting him through the ordeal.
The WSO, codenamed “Dude Bravo 44” to protect his identity, told CBS “60 Minutes” host Norah O’Donnell in an interview that aired Sunday night, “That day was just another day in the war for us until the moment where we got hit by an Iranian weapon.”
It seemed like a “freight train” struck their F-15E while they were on a mission to strike Iranian facilities related to Iran’s missile and drone production, CBS News reported.
The pilot, “Dude Alpha 44,” and Bravo ejected within seconds from their badly damaged aircraft and landed about five miles apart.
But as Bravo recounted, “My parachute was damaged in the initial attack. At one point, when I looked up and saw no parachute, that was the most — that was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen. So, I paused right then, and I prayed, ‘Lord, your will be done. But if I’m getting through this, I need help.’”
The WSO told O’Donnell that “free-falling” would be the best way to describe it, as he sought to get at least a partial chute deployment.
Based on his description and the injuries he sustained, Bravo was likely going between 70 and 100 miles per hour when he hit the ground, he told O’Donnell.
“How did you survive that?” she asked.
MUST WATCH: The incredible true story of the U.S. Air Force officer shot down in Iran, his heroic rescue, and his faith that sustained him.
The greatest military in the history of the world.@60Minutes pic.twitter.com/syxehQFqmO
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 14, 2026
“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,” Bravo said.
A rescue team was able to get in and bring the pilot, Alpha, to safety that same day, but Bravo would have to survive over two days behind enemy lines, while seriously injured and with a small amount of water.
CBS reported that he broke his back, an arm, and a shoulder, sprained his ankle, and was bleeding from cuts and scrapes to his head and face. Still, he managed to scramble 7,000 feet up a ridgeline and evade being captured by the Iranians, who at one point came within a few hundred meters.
The WSO explained to O’Donnell, “Never let a lack of motivation put you on Iranian TV.”
After reaching a concealed position high on a ridgeline with night falling, Bravo sent a message back home: “When I got to the moment where I could review and think about all that I’d gone through, I sent, ‘God is good,’ as a recognition of all that he had brought me through.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told CBS that he considered sending in a rescue team that night to retrieve Bravo, but “It just didn’t line up.”
“That was a really tough decision,” he said. “I’ll never forget, you know, being in the situation room and saying, ‘OK, I guess we’re gonna roll 24,’ which means, ‘Hey, Bravo’s going to be out there for basically 24 hours more.’”
Meanwhile, Politico reported in April, “The CIA spread word inside Iran that U.S. forces had already found the airman and were exfiltrating him out of the country by ground, according to two senior administration officials.”
“The feint bought time for the CIA to locate the downed airman and quietly relay his precise whereabouts to the White House and Pentagon, added the two officials, who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media,” the news outlet added.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the American commander of U.S. Central Command, leading U.S. forces in the Middle East, told O’Donnell that the Pentagon deployed 92 special operators to retrieve Bravo, marking the first time U.S. soldiers had been on the ground in Iran in 46 years. There were also several hundred people in the air and thousands more in support roles during the operation.
In a video released by the Pentagon, two paramilitary operators known as PJs can be seen linking up with Bravo and extracting him.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine walked through newly declassified footage of DUDE 44 BRAVO rescue. pic.twitter.com/2xCn56J48t
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) September 14, 2026
Bravo told O’Donnell, “This is not a story about what I went through. Instead, it’s a story of the teamwork, the training, of the faith, of the decisions and the leadership to do something that will live in history as an example of what America’s willing to do, in order to uphold our promise and leave no man behind.”
.@SecWar: “Shot down on a Friday — Good Friday — hidden in a cave, a crevice, all of Saturday, and rescued on Sunday. Flown out of Iran as the sun was rising on Easter.” pic.twitter.com/1GWtaiYoyj
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 6, 2026
In April, Hegseth could not help noting the timing of the successful rescue of Bravo, saying, “Shot down on a Friday — Good Friday — hidden in a cave, a crevice, all of Saturday, and rescued on Sunday. Flown out of Iran as the sun was rising on Easter Sunday.”
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
