Shot Down Over Iran — How Far U.S. Forces Went to Bring Them Home (ACTUAL RESCUE FOOTAGE)

An F-15E Strike Eagle — call sign DUDE 44 — was shot down deep inside Iran. The pilot, Alpha, and weapons systems officer, Bravo, ejected and landed miles apart behind enemy lines. Alpha was rescued within hours. But Bravo came down hard after his parachute was badly damaged — suffering a broken back, broken arm, broken shoulder, a severe ankle injury, and cuts to his head and face. Iranian search forces were closing in. So Bravo did the one thing that gave him a chance. He started climbing. Badly injured and almost completely alone, Bravo fought his way up a roughly 7,000-foot ridgeline and evaded capture for nearly two days while the United States assembled one of the largest and most complex combat search-and-rescue operations in recent history. More than 150 aircraft, Air Force Pararescuemen, special operations forces, intelligence assets, and the CIA were ultimately brought together for one purpose: BRING HIM HOME. This is the incredible true story of DUDE 44 — and how far the United States was willing to go to leave no American behind. Watch the full story. 🔗 SOURCES & REFERENCES • U.S. Air Forces Central / DVIDS — Official DUDE 44 Rescue Operation Footage https://youtu.be/q4B5aCiZwVs • CBS News / 60 Minutes — Full Transcript: “Shot Down Over Iran” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wounded-air-force-officer-evaded-capture-iran-60-minutes-transcript/ • CBS News / 60 Minutes — DUDE 44 Bravo Interview / Video https://www.cbsnews.com/video/dude-44-bravo-iran-rescue-60-minutes-video-2026-09-06/ • Air & Space Forces Magazine — The Rescue of DUDE 44: Inside the Massive Operation to Save Two Downed Airmen in Iran https://www.airandspaceforces.com/dude-44-rescue-massive-operation-iran-save-downed-airmen/ • Reuters — How a Perilous U.S. Rescue Mission in Iran Nearly Went Off Course https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/how-perilous-us-rescue-mission-iran-nearly-went-off-course-2026-04-05/ • The Aviationist — New DUDE 44 Rescue Footage Reveals More About Aircraft Used in Iran Operation https://theaviationist.com/2026/09/14/new-dude-44-rescue-footage/ • The Aviationist — New Details About DUDE 44 Shootdown Emerge in First Interview of WSO https://theaviationist.com/2026/09/14/dude-44-interview-of-wso/ • U.S. Department of Defense — Operation Epic Fury Fact Sheet, April 6, 2026 https://media.defense.gov/2026/Apr/06/2003907108/-1/-1/1/OPERATION-EPIC-FURY-FACT-SHEET-APRIL-6-2026.PDF • 150th Special Operations Wing, U.S. Air Force — DUDE 44 Coverage https://www.150sow.ang.af.mil/ 📺 CHAPTERS 00:00 – Shot Down Over Iran 01:19 – Meet DUDE 44 04:10 – The Shootdown 05:37 – The First Rescue 09:15 – Bravo — Alone in Iran 11:46 – America Comes for Bravo 15:06 – The Rescue 16:54 – Leave No Man Behind 🎵 MUSIC Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio White Bat Audio: https://whitebataudio.com/ @AmericanMilitaryNetwork ​ #DUDE44 #F15E #USAirForce #Pararescue #CombatSearchAndRescue #MilitaryHistory #Iran