President Donald Trump on Sunday morning posted the most detailed account yet of the extraordinary back-to-back rescues of the two crew members from the U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over Iran.
In a lengthy Truth Social post published just after midnight (April 5), Trump confirmed that U.S. forces successfully extracted the weapons systems officer/navigator, described as a “most distinguished colonel” who was “seriously wounded and very brave” from deep in the mountains of Iran while Iranian troops were closing in.
Here is the full verbatim statement from President Trump:
“We rescued the navigator of the F-15, seriously wounded and very brave, from deep in the mountains of Iran. The Iranian military was searching intensively, in large numbers, and was closing in. He is a most distinguished colonel. A raid of this kind is almost never carried out due to the danger to ‘personnel and equipment.’ It simply doesn’t happen! The second raid came after the first, in which we rescued the pilot in broad daylight — also extraordinary — having spent seven hours over Iran. A stunning display of courage and skill by everyone! I will hold a press conference, together with the military, in the Oval Office, on Monday at 1:00 PM (U.S. time).”
New Revelations in Trump’s Statement
- The navigator (weapons systems officer) was seriously wounded during or after ejection and spent more than 24–36 hours evading capture in treacherous mountainous terrain.
- Iranian forces mounted an intensive, large-scale manhunt and were “closing in” on the colonel when U.S. special operations forces arrived.
- The second rescue raid (for the navigator) was an extremely high-risk nighttime operation that Trump stressed is “almost never carried out” because of the extreme danger to U.S. personnel and equipment.
- The first rescue (the pilot) was conducted in broad daylight and involved U.S. forces operating seven full hours over Iranian territory . an operation Trump also called “extraordinary.”
- Both rescues were executed “at my direction,” according to earlier posts, and Trump praised the “stunning display of courage and skill by everyone” involved.
Why These Operations Are Historic
U.S. officials and military analysts have described the dual rescues as unprecedented in modern warfare: two separate deep-penetration extractions inside hostile Iranian territory within roughly 48 hours. The first in daylight and the second at night under pursuit represent a level of operational boldness rarely seen since the Vietnam era.
The navigator is now safe, receiving medical treatment in Kuwait, and is expected to recover. No U.S. personnel were killed or wounded during either raid.
President Trump announced he will hold a formal press conference with senior military leaders in the Oval Office on Monday, April 6, 2026, at 1:00 PM Eastern Time.
This will be the first on-camera briefing since the rescues and is expected to include further operational details, possibly declassified video or photos, and updates on the broader U.S.-Iran conflict.
