WE GOT HIM!’: Trump Says US Forces Rescue 2nd Airman Downed in Iran

 WE GOT HIM!’: Trump Says US Forces Rescue 2nd Airman Downed in Iran

WASHINGTON – In a dramatic late-night announcement from the White House, former President Donald Trump confirmed that US special operations forces have successfully rescued the second crew member of a fighter jet shot down over Iranian airspace on April 3.

“WE GOT HIM!” Trump declared on social media, calling the rescue “one of the most daring and difficult missions in recent military history.” The president said dozens of aircraft, including fighter jets, drones, and electronic warfare planes, supported the complex search-and-rescue (SAR) operation, which had been ongoing for several days inside hostile territory.

The Downing of the Jet

The incident began on April 3, when a two-seat F-15E Strike Eagle, conducting a mission near Iran’s western border, was hit by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. The aircraft crashed deep inside Iranian territory. Following the crash, the first pilot was able to eject and was quickly recovered by US forces under heavy fire. However, the second crew member—identified by sources as a Colonel and experienced weapons systems officer—went missing in the chaotic aftermath.

Iranian state media initially claimed both airmen had been captured. Tehran announced a bounty for information leading to the second crew member, prompting an intense manhunt by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) units on the ground.

The Rescue Mission

According to Pentagon officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, the rescue unfolded over 36 hours. After tracking the downed airman’s emergency beacon intermittently, US intelligence determined he had survived the crash and was hiding in a rocky ravine, evading Iranian search teams.

President Trump authorized the mission personally. A joint task force comprising US Air Force Pararescue (PJs), Army Night Stalker pilots, and Marine Corps assets was assembled.

To set the stage, the US launched a multi-pronged deception campaign. Electronic warfare aircraft jammed Iranian radar systems along the border, while a separate US drone strike was carried out in a different province to divert Iranian attention. Simultaneously, the CIA reportedly spread false intelligence through back channels suggesting the airman had already been moved toward the Turkish border.

With Iranian forces distracted, a small fleet of CV-22 Ospreys and MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, escorted by F-35 fighters, penetrated Iranian airspace at low altitude under the cover of darkness. The rescue team landed within two miles of the airman’s suspected location.

After a brief but intense firefight with a nearby IRGC patrol, the commandos located the injured airman. He was found dehydrated and with a broken leg but alive. “We got him!” the rescue team leader radioed back—a phrase Trump later echoed.

Challenges and Casualties

The mission was not without cost. The president acknowledged that several US drones were shot down by Iranian air defenses during the operation. Additionally, one A-10 Warthog ground-attack aircraft was lost, and a Black Hawk helicopter sustained significant damage but managed to return to a US base in Iraq.

In a bizarre turn, two MC-130J Commando II special operations planes experienced mechanical failures and were forced to make emergency landings inside Iran. Both aircraft were later destroyed by US personnel on the ground to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands. Trump insisted that “no American personnel were killed or captured” during the overall operation, though Iranian state media claimed to have shot down multiple US aircraft.

Reactions and Aftermath

The rescue has significantly escalated tensions in the region. Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the operation as an “act of armed aggression and violation of territorial integrity,” vowing retaliation. The IRGC released a statement saying the escape of the second airman was a “humiliating intelligence failure.”

President Trump praised the troops involved, saying, “This is what American heroes look like. We leave no one behind.” The rescued airman is currently receiving medical treatment at a US military hospital in Germany. His identity has been withheld pending family notification.

The incident marks the first time since the 1980s that the US has conducted a ground rescue of a downed pilot inside Iranian territory. Military analysts call the mission a significant tactical victory but warn it could provoke a wider direct confrontation with Tehran.

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