Air Force colonel recounts how he survived after F-15E jet was shot down over Iran

A U.S. Air Force colonel recounted his story of survival after his F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran in April, in the early months of the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.

The colonel spoke with “60 Minutes” on CBS News about the incident and was referred to by the outlet as Bravo, his mission call sign, due to security threats. Bravo told Norah O’Donnell that he was the weapon-systems officer of the two-man crew when their plane was struck and he plummeted at an estimated 70-100 mph.

“At one point when I looked up and saw no parachute, that was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen,” Bravo said, with his parachute damaged by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile. “So I paused, right then, and I prayed, ‘Lord, your will be done. But if I’m getting through this, I need help.'”

The crew’s mission, named with the mission call sign Dude 44, was to conduct a strike on Iranian industrial facilities tied to the country’s drone and missile program, U.S. Central Command (Centcom) commander Adm. Brad Cooper told O’Donnell.

Bravo compared the missile striking the jet to “getting hit by a freight train.” Bravo and his partner, with the mission call sign Alpha, ejected when they could not save the jet. Alpha ejected safely, but Bravo landed hard about 5 miles away. Both ended up in Isfahan, Iran.

“I had injuries, but we all train to adapt and overcome the things that we’re faced with,” he said. “I moved as quickly as I could, despite the injuries, away from the place that I landed.”

Bravo broke his back, an arm and a shoulder after he hit the ground, but he managed to hike up to a 7,000-foot ridgeline. He described his survival as a “modern-day miracle.” Bravo found himself in a valley with cliffs on either side. Iranian forces reached within a few hundred meters of Bravo’s location, CBS News reported, citing military sources.

A U.S. rescue team found Alpha six hours after the jet was shot down. Bravo said he was able to alert U.S. forces that he was hurt but still moving. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told O’Donnell that it was a “really tough decision” after learning of Bravo’s whereabouts and after the rescue team’s helicopter took fire from Iranian forces. Hegseth determined that Bravo would be rescued in another 24 hours.

Another day passed with almost no water or food in the harsh environment before two rescue planes located him. Sand became stuck in the planes’ landing gear, leaving more than 90 of what Cooper called the military’s “most elite service members” stuck on Iranian soil.

The service members destroyed the planes before more U.S. forces picked them up, to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands.

“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,” Bravo told O’Donnell.

The Iran war has stretched into its seventh month, with the U.S. and Iran exchanging fire in recent weeks. President Trump has said the conflict will end after the midterm elections and suggested that the U.S. could take control of Iran’s oil supply , similar to the U.S. oil deal with Venezuela, as the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz has left gas prices soaring since March.