{"id":2587621,"date":"2026-04-06T12:16:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T16:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rescued-officer-in-iran-hiked-up-7k-feet-hid-in-mountainous-crevice-as-enemies-gathered-below\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T12:20:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T16:20:42","slug":"rescued-officer-in-iran-hiked-up-7k-feet-hid-in-mountainous-crevice-as-enemies-gathered-below","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rescued-officer-in-iran-hiked-up-7k-feet-hid-in-mountainous-crevice-as-enemies-gathered-below\/","title":{"rendered":"Rescued Officer in Iran Hiked Up 7K Feet, Hid in Mountainous Crevice as Enemies Gathered Below"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frescued-officer-in-iran-hiked-up-7k-feet-hid-in-mountainous-crevice-as-enemies-gathered-below%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2587621&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A high-stakes rescue operation in Iran saved an American F-15E <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/review-top-gun-maverick\/\" title=\"REVIEW: \u2018Top Gun: Maverick\u2019\">weapons officer<\/a> after his pilot was shot down. The ordeal involved hundreds of personnel over several days, with the pilot recovered about six hours after the crash, while the weapons officer landed far from the site and survived by hiking to a high crevice and staying hidden. CIA efforts included a deception to mislead Iranian forces, while roughly 100 special operations troops-including SEAL Team 6, Delta Force, and Army Rangers-worked with helicopters, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/south-korea-scrambles-fighter-jets-attack-helicopters-to-shoot-down-north-korean-drones\/\" title=\"South Korea Scrambles Fighter Jets, Attack Helicopters To Shoot Down North Korean Drones\">surveillance planes<\/a>, and aerial refueling to carry out the mission. The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >operation faced hurdles<\/a>, such as two C-130s getting stuck and later being destroyed to prevent enemy use, before the officer was extracted to Kuwait. No Americans were injured, and the rescue was described in The New York Times and The Washington Post, with remarks of praise from President Trump for the bravery involved.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>In the end, no one was left behind.<\/p>\n<p>But it was not easy, as the tale of Saturday&rsquo;s rescue of an F-15E weapons officer illustrated, according to a report in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/05\/us\/iran-airman-fighter-jet-rescue-mission.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Hundreds of people were involved in the days-long operation that began Friday after the U.S. Air Force plane was hit by enemy fire over Iran. Amid heavy Iranian fire, the pilot was picked up about six hours after the crash.<\/p>\n<p>But the weapons officer was nowhere to be found, having landed far from the pilot after being ejected.<\/p>\n<p>It did not look good. Drones and surveillance planes found no trace of the weapons officer. But the officer was alive and battling to survive. He hiked up 7,000 feet and hid in a crevice awaiting the rescue he knew would come.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Over the past 48 hours, I had the privilege of witnessing two of the most daring, bold, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iranian-downed-officer-follow-up\/\" title=\"...ian Downed ... Follow-Up\">courageous rescue operations<\/a> in American history.<br \/> Each phase was marked by profound moments of grace&mdash;small miracles made possible through unrelenting tenacity, extensive experience, and&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SeanParnellUSA\/status\/2040825277555658762?\">April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It was not until 14 hours after the crash that officials located him through the beacon he carried, but used sparingly to ensure Iranian forces did not find him. By the time Americans entered the scene, a force was amassing at the base of the elevation where he had taken shelter.<\/p>\n<p>The CIA tried to create a ruse, sending word into Iran that the downed airman was rescued and in a convoy heading out of Iran. Iran partially bought the ploy, but kept searching nonetheless.<\/p>\n<p>As time passed, American and Israeli officials ensured the weapons officer was alone and not captured.<\/p>\n<p>As that took place, a massive operation unfolded with about 100 Special Operations forces, including SEAL Team 6, with Delta Force members and Army Rangers ready if needed. Helicopters, surveillance planes, fighters, and aerial tankers were assembled.<\/p>\n<p>Special Operations helicopters carried U.S. forces to the location where the weapons officer was waiting. To forestall an Iranian attack, American and Israeli warplanes bombed nearby mountains. Commandos fired into thin air to ward off any Iranian patrols who wanted to attack.<\/p>\n<p>No fight took place. Officials told The New York Times that the region where the weapons officer landed is broadly opposed to the regime.<\/p>\n<p>The rescued airman was ferried by helicopter to an airstrip Special Operations forces had previously prepared. But the plan developed a glitch.<\/p>\n<p>Two C-130 aircraft were unable to take off. The New York Times reported that their nose gear was stuck in the dirt of the airstrip.<\/p>\n<p>After hours of failed efforts to free the C-130s, three replacement aircraft were sent. The C-130s were destroyed to ensure Iran could not use them, and the weapons officer was flown to Kuwait.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"zxx\"><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZqujhrFC4d\">pic.twitter.com\/ZqujhrFC4d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RapidResponse47\/status\/2040643331491811687?\">April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2026\/04\/04\/us-pilot-rescue-iran-f15-crash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Washington Post<\/a> reported that two MH-6 helicopters were also destroyed.<\/p>\n<p>The mission had been a gamble and experienced complications, but the officer was safe, and no one was injured in freeing him.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We have rescued the seriously wounded, and really brave, F-15 Crew Member\/Officer, from deep inside the mountains of Iran. The Iranian Military was looking hard, in big numbers, and getting close. He is a highly respected Colonel,&rdquo; President Donald Trump posted on <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116351956955900185\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This type of raid is seldom attempted because of the danger to &lsquo;man and equipment.&rsquo; It just doesn&rsquo;t happen! The second raid came after the first one, where we rescued the pilot in broad daylight, also unusual, spending seven hours over Iran. An AMAZING show of bravery and talent by all!&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump said further details would be released Monday.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the piece you provided:<\/p>\n<p>In the end, everyone involved made it out, but the rescue of an F-15E weapons officer after his plane was shot down over Iran was extremely challenging. The New York Times describes a days-long operation that began Friday when the aircraft was hit. The pilot was recovered about six hours later despite heavy enemy fire, but the weapons officer landed far from the crash site and initially could not be found. He remained alive, trekking up to 7,000 feet and sheltering in a crevice as he waited for rescue.<\/p>\n<p>Over the next 48 hours, hundreds of personnel participated in the mission. Roughly 100 special operations soldiers- including SEAL Team 6, Delta Force, and Army Rangers-worked with helicopters, surveillance flights, fighters, and aerial tankers. To prevent Iranian retaliation, American and Israeli aircraft bombed nearby mountains, and there were efforts to mislead Iran about the rescue. The operation proceeded despite complications: two C-130s couldn\u2019t take off because their nose gear jammed in the dirt, and after hours three replacement airplanes were brought in. The original C-130s were destroyed to keep them from being used by Iran, and the weapons officer was flown to Kuwait after being rescued by helicopter to a prearranged airstrip. Two MH-6 helicopters were also destroyed. No one was injured, and the mission was hailed as a remarkable display of bravery and skill by the leaders involved.<\/p>\n<p>Officials noted the rescue site was in a region generally hostile to the Iranian regime, and the officer-described as a highly respected colonel-was kept safe and unpaired during critical moments. President Trump publicly praised the operation, calling it an extraordinary and daring raid.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019d like, I can also convert this into a shorter summary or into bullet points<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2587622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-04-05T201944.247.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3823,77259,77258,77260,19246],"class_list":["post-2587621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-iran","tag-mountain-rescue-2","tag-rescued-officer","tag-survival-story-2","tag-warzone"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-04-05T201944.247.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2587621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2587621"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2587621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2587625,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2587621\/revisions\/2587625"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2587622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2587621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2587621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2587621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}