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For the first time, we're hearing from one of the two U.S. Air Force officers shot down over Iran in April
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The weapons systems officer, identified only by his call sign Bravo, told CBS's 60 Minutes about the moment their F-15E was hit
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forcing him and his pilot to eject over the mountains of Iran. That day was just another day in the war for us until the moment where we got hit by an Iranian weapon
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I think the best way I've been able to describe that moment was getting hit by a freight train
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We do all we can to try to save the aircraft. It was evident that that wasn't possible
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And soon thereafter, we ejected and found ourselves floating over the heart of Iran
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So within seconds, you're ejecting. That's how quick the decision is. It is
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I will be thankful to my dying day for my pilot and crewmate Alpha for saving our lives and injecting us
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Bravo's parachute was damaged and he hit the ground with a broken back, arm and shoulder
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He landed about five miles from his pilot Alpha, who was rescued by American forces about six hours after the crash
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Military experts estimate Bravo plummeted to the ground at between 70 and 100 miles per hour
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and called his survival a modern-day miracle. But even with broken bones in three places, Bravo kept moving
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hiking and climbing a 7,000-foot ridgeline. That's him you can see here, alone behind enemy lines
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evading capture without food or water for two days. Two elite Air Force pararescue operators finally reached him
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ending one of the most complex and risky search and rescue operations in U.S. military history