Badly wounded U.S. Air Force officer climbed 7,000 foot Iranian ridgeline to hide after being shot down
When an American fighter jet was shot down over Iran this past April 2, not one, but two U.S. Air Force officers were left stranded, alone in a rugged mountain range, being pursued by Iranian forces. To prevent their capture — five weeks into a costly and unpopular war that has taken the lives of 18 U.S. service members — the U.S. military launched one of the largest search and rescue operations in its history.
Tonight, we begin our 59th season with how the mission unfolded. We'll show you newly declassified footage and you'll meet the colonel who lived through it all to tell us the story.
When the U.S. went to war with Iran this past February, it was by sea but mostly from the air.
ADM. BRAD COOPER: Broadly, we had flown about 13,000 missions up to this point. So we had air superiority, but clearly we weren't flying over Kansas.
Adm. Brad Cooper is the American commander in charge of the war. We asked him what brought the fighter jet to a mountainous area south of the city of Isfahan, close to where Iran had been keeping much of its highly enriched nuclear material.
NORAH O'DONNELL: What were they doing in that area?
ADM. BRAD COOPER: Their mission that evening was to conduct a strike on industrial facilities related to both the drone and the missile program, not related to the Isfahan nuclear facility.
The plane's mission call sign was DUDE 44. It was an F-15E, a type of two-seat fighter that's been a workhorse of U.S. air combat operations for decades. The $30 million jet was brought down by a shoulder-fired missile that can cost around $100,000.
Evidence of the wreckage was shared online by Iranian media. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was woken up Thursday night with the news.
NORAH O'DONNELL: When you heard that an American fighter jet was down behind enemy lines in Iran, what went through your mind?
SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH: Probably, "You know, you always knew that was possible." And so immediately it's to the next steps, "Are they OK? Does Iran know that?" And, you know, whether they're alive or not, we're gonna go get 'em.
BRAVO: That day was just another day in the war for us, until the moment where we got hit by an Iranian weapon.
This is Bravo, one of the two officers shot down over Iran. Neither has spoken publicly until now.
BRAVO: I think the best way I've been able to describe that moment was getting hit by a freight train.
We've agreed to call the weapon systems officer by his mission call sign, Bravo, due to security threats from Iran.
BRAVO: We do all we can to try to save the aircraft. It was evident that that wasn't possible. And soon thereafter, we ejected and found ourselves floating over the heart of Iran.
NORAH O'DONNELL: So within seconds, you're ejecting? That's how quick the decision is?
BRAVO: It is. I will be thankful, to my dying day, for my pilot and crewmate, Alpha, for saving our lives and ejecting us.
After they ejected, Alpha and Bravo found themselves 5 miles apart, separated and alone on the ground in the rugged Iranian desert. Alpha landed safely. Bravo was lucky to be alive.
BRAVO: My parachute was damaged in the initial attack. At one point when I looked up and saw no parachute, 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."
NORAH O'DONNELL: While you're in the air.
BRAVO: Yeah.
NORAH O'DONNELL: Is that almost like free-falling or how would you describe that?
BRAVO: Free-falling is a good way to put it. I wasn't focused on the speed at which I was falling. I was instead focused on trying to correct the problems that were in front of me and doing anything I could to unfurl or pull pieces of the parachute loose.
We'll never know just how fast Bravo was falling, but we do know the military trains to survive hard landings.
NORAH O'DONNELL: So how fast do you think you were going, when you hit the ground?
BRAVO: Based on my description and the injuries that I had, the professionals think I hit the ground, going somewhere between 70 and 100 mph.
NORAH O'DONNELL: How did you survive that?
BRAVO: 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.
The fall broke Bravo's back. He also sustained a broken arm, broken shoulder, sprained ankle and was bleeding from cuts and scrapes to his head and face.
BRAVO: I had injuries, but we all train to adapt and overcome the things that are– that we're faced with. I moved as quickly as I could, despite the injuries, away from the place that I landed.
NORAH O'DONNELL: It's dark, right? And can you tell me what you see around you?
BRAVO: It is dark. But much like early morning hunting trips, you know, the sun starts to come up and you can start to perceive elements of the environment around you. Iran is the size of Alaska. And in the heart of Iran, where we were,
there are high desert valleys, but also amazing craggly cliffs. And so I find myself in one of those valleys with cliffs on either side.
Bravo told us the safest place for him to go was up, so he quickly made the decision, despite his broken bones, to hike and climb up a 7,000-foot ridgeline.
NORAH O'DONNELL: Given your injuries, how did you find the strength to make it up the mountain?
BRAVO: Never let a lack of motivation put you on Iranian TV.
NORAH O'DONNELL: You were thinking that?
BRAVO: Absolutely.
Soon after the crash, an Iranian news anchor announced a bounty for the capture of the Americans.
Videos emerged on the internet of armed groups hunting for the downed crew.
BRAVO: I can tell you, for a fact, that they were looking for me.
According to U.S. military sources, Iranian forces got to within a few hundred meters of Bravo.
GEN. CAINE: There was clear intent out of the Iranian ground force to come find those two guys.
Gen. Dan Caine is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a former fighter pilot himself.
GEN. CAINE: When you think about the risk of them being potentially trotted through someplace downtown in Tehran on TV, that's not a fun thing for anybody.
ADM. BRAD COOPER: We were tracking Iranian forces like BBs. There were about 1,500 within a 10-mile radius, and we were watching them very closely.
Six hours in, the U.S. had its eye on Alpha, the pilot. This is declassified video of the risky daytime raid to pick him up, two helicopters of the 21 aircraft deployed.
Videos posted on social media showed American helicopters taking fire.
SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH: It was a gun fight all the way in and all the way out. But they got Alpha back. And then we began to– immediately, I mean you're celebrating that Alpha's back, but you realize there's– the job's only half done.
Bravo was still missing. Alpha's rescue force attempted to also locate him but was unsuccessful and eventually withdrew.
Then, as night fell on that first day in Iran, a message from Bravo ...
NORAH O'DONNELL: When were you first able to send a signal?
BRAVO: As soon as I found a spot that I felt provided some concealment, I started working on– toward communication.
NORAH O'DONNELL: What did you say in that message?
BRAVO: 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.
ADM. BRAD COOPER: There was a "I'm hurt, I'm moving," and there was a "God is good" message that came in there. Now we knew he was alive. He's moving. OK, let's keep planning.
SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH: There was the thought of maybe going on Friday night first. But there just– it just didn't line up. That was a really tough decision. I'll never forget being in the situation room and saying, "OK, I guess we're gonna roll 24, which means, "Hey, Bravo's gonna b