Broken back, no food, Iranian forces closing in: US airman recalls dramatic 50-hour rescue

A US Air Force officer, identified as "Bravo," recently recounted his dramatic 50-hour rescue after his F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran on April 2. Bravo, the weapons systems officer, survived a near-free fall that broke his back, arm, and shoulder, and then climbed a 7,000-foot ridgeline to evade Iranian forces. He described his survival as a "modern-day miracle."

"I will be thankful, to my dying day, for my pilot and crewmate, Alpha, for saving our lives and ejecting us," Bravo told 60 Minutes.

The rescue operation, one of the largest in recent US military history, involved approximately 92 US service members on the ground in Iran, with hundreds more in the air and thousands supporting. Despite initial difficulties and a "gun fight all the way in and all the way out" during Alpha's rescue, Bravo was eventually located and extracted, though the rescue force became temporarily stranded and two US aircraft were destroyed to prevent sensitive technology from falling into Iranian hands.