Downed F-15 backseater rescued by SEAL Team 6 operators and Little Bird pilots

An Air Force weapon systems officer’s daring rescue by special operations forces captivated the United States over the first weekend in April. Now, new details have emerged about the overall operation, the CIA’s deception plan to confuse the Iranian forces, and how the entire mission almost came undone.

As Iranian militiamen closed in, the airman was rescued after a two-day ordeal by operators from Joint Special Operations Command, which includes secretive but famous special mission units such as the Navy’s SEAL Team 6 and the Army’s Delta Force. The JSOC operators were available because they had deployed to the region for a completely different mission.