US pilot shot down over Iran recalls 'free-falling' in first interview since rescue
Bravo says a shoulder-fired missile damaged his parachute and left him badly injured before a 50-hour rescue behind enemy lines.
- On Sunday, a U.S. Air Force weapons systems officer identified as "Bravo" detailed his survival after his F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran in April, describing a harrowing parachute failure that left him stranded behind enemy lines for two days.
- The aircrew, call sign "Dude 44," was conducting an April 2 strike mission near Isfahan against facilities linked to Iran's drone and missile program when a shoulder-fired missile forced them to eject.
- Bravo sustained a broken back, arm, and shoulder after hitting the ground at high speed, yet hiked a 7,000-foot ridgeline to evade detection by Iranian forces before U.S. special operations personnel rescued him 50 hours later.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth characterized the complex rescue operation, which involved hundreds of personnel from Army Delta Force and Navy SEAL Team Six, as a "gun fight all the way in and all the way out."
- CNN reported Saturday that Defense Secretary Hegseth and political appointees pushed for the crew's participation in the interview despite reservations from the military's chain of command regarding classified rescue details.
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The colonel identified as Bravo spent nearly 50 hours seriously injured and hidden in the Iranian mountains after ejecting from an F-15E hit by a missile.
EADaily, September 15, 2026. A member of the F-15E fighter weapon system who gave an interview to CBS "60 minutes" was identified as Colonel Jonathan Booth, known as Vapor.
In a combat operation over Iran an American F-15E was shot down. One of the two officers remained severely injured almost two days behind enemy lines. Now he is expressing himself for the first time.
Airmen Receive Battlefield Promotions for DUDE 44 Rescue
Ten Airmen received battlefield promotions for their roles in the daring rescue of DUDE 44, the crew of an F-15E Strike Eagle that was shot down over Iran this spring, Air Force Chief of Staff Ken. S. Wilsbach announced Sept. 14. Wilsbach revealed the promotions—a rarity in the Air Force—and more details about Airmen’s actions during Operation Epic Fury in a keynote address at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber conference. The post Wilsbach Shares Airmen’…
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