How faith in God sustained a U.S. airman shot down over Iran
On April 3, just five weeks into the war with Iran, two American Air Force officers — identified by their mission call signs, Alpha and Bravo — took off in an F-15E fighter jet to conduct a nighttime strike on Iranian facilities. It started as “another day in the war for us,” Bravo, the weapons systems officer, told CBS News . “Until the moment where we got hit by an Iranian weapon.” Bravo described the impact from the Iranian missile as “getting hit by a freight train.” Within seconds, Bravo and Alpha, the pilot, ejected from the aircraft and “found ourselves floating over the heart of Iran.” Bravo’s parachute was damaged by the initial hit. “At one point when I looked up and saw no parachute, that was the most —” Bravo paused. “That was the most terrifying thing I have 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.’” Shortly after, Bravo hit the ground at a speed of 70 to 100 miles an hour, military briefers estimate. The forceful impact was only the beginning.
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In fact, he called it a “boon to (his) survival” and said he was grateful for the opportunity to witness the rescue. “It was the proudest dad moment of my life,” Bravo said. “To see it firsthand made me incredibly proud of them and of Americans like them that continue to raise their hand and say, ‘Here I am, send me.’” ‘God is good,’ Bravo reported amid survival efforts When night fell on the first day, Bravo sent a brief message to friendly forces: “I’m hurt.
