‘WE GOT HIM!’: President Trump announced on Truth Social that U.S. forces carried out one of the most daring search-and-rescue missions in history, successfully recovering a senior officer who had been behind enemy lines in Iran.

U.S. Forces Execute Daring Rescue of Downed Air Force Colonel Deep in Iran – Trump Declares “WE GOT HIM!”

April 5, 2026** – In a dramatic announcement early Sunday morning, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to proclaim the successful rescue of a senior U.S. Air Force officer who had been trapped behind enemy lines in Iran for nearly two days.

“WE GOT HIM!  Trump wrote. “My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History.”The officer, described by the President as a “highly respected Colonel” and weapons systems officer aboard an F-15E Strike Eagle, was shot down over western Iran on Friday. The two-man crew ejected from the jet. The pilot was rescued earlier in a separate operation, but the colonel remained missing in hostile territory.

According to Trump’s post and multiple reports, the colonel sustained serious injuries during the incident but evaded capture while hiding in the treacherous mountains of Iran. Iranian forces were actively hunting him and reportedly closing in by the hour.5U.S. officials monitored the colonel’s location around the clock. At the direction of President Trump, the military launched a high-risk nighttime operation involving Navy SEAL Team 6 commandos and hundreds of special operations personnel, supported by dozens of aircraft armed with advanced weaponry.

The rescue was executed flawlessly with **no U.S. casualties**. The injured colonel was extracted safely and flown to Kuwait for medical treatment. Trump confirmed the officer “is now SAFE and SOUND” and “will be just fine.”6

A High-Stakes Race Against Time

The mission unfolded against a tense backdrop of escalating conflict between the U.S. and Iran. The downed F-15E debris was confirmed in Iranian territory, turning the survival of the crew into both a military and symbolic priority.

Trump emphasized the personal commitment from the top: senior U.S. leadership, including the Secretary of Defense (referred to in one post as Secretary of War), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and frontline warfighters worked relentlessly to bring the colonel home.“This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines… but was never truly alone,” Trump stated, highlighting the 24/7 monitoring and precise planning that made the rescue possible.

The operation has been described across media outlets as “miraculous” and one of the boldest search-and-rescue efforts in modern U.S. military history