Hid in mountain crevices, dodged bounty-hunters… How US airman survived behind enemy lines in Iran
After his F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down by Iran, the US air force officer was wounded. However, the tough-as-nails airman climbed a 7,000-foot ridge, hid in the crevices of a mountain, spending 36 hours evading capture before he was rescued in one of the most daring operations in US military history
 "Hid in mountain crevices, dodged bounty-hunters… How US airman survived behind enemy lines in Iran")
“We got him!” Donald Trump announced triumphantly early on Sunday morning. “Over the past several hours, the United States military pulled off one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history… I am thrilled to let you know [our missing airman] is now safe and sound.”
This marked the end of a 36-hour drama that will forever be remembered in the history of the US military.
It all began on April 3 when Iran reportedly brought down a US F-15E Strike Eagle. The pilot was rescued almost immediately. But the weapons officer remained missing.
In fact, the airman’s efforts to evade capture by Iran sound nothing short of a Hollywood blockbuster; there was suspense and a whole lot of action. Let’s take a look at how the airman survived and was rescued by the US troops.
How did the airman end up in enemy territory?
The airman was part of the two crew flying in an F-15E Strike Eagle with the aircraft call sign “Dude 44” when it was shot down on April 3 by Iran. Until Friday, the US claimed control of the skies, but after the downing of the American jet, a very different picture emerged.
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya joint military command announced on state media that the country had deployed a newly developed air defence system to bring down the US F-15E Strike Eagle. A spokesperson for the joint command went further, vowing that Iran would “definitely achieve full control” over its own skies soon.
This marked the first such instance of an American jet being downed by Iran since the war broke out on February 28.
The downing of the jet prompted the two-person crew to eject, igniting a search-and-rescue operation. One of the two, the pilot, was rescued by US troops, while the other one was still to be found.
