‘Power be to God,’ What the Now-Rescued F-15 Pilot/WSO Said Over His Radio After Ejecting From the Aircraft Over Iran
An F-15E Strike Eagle flying over Afghanistan. Credit: U.S. Air Force/Wikimedia Commons
A second crew member from the F-15 fighter jet that was shot down on Friday has now been rescued, though little information has been released about him so far. What is known is that the pilot, who ejected from the aircraft and survived, managed to send a short message over the radio before the rescue mission that later brought him to safety.
As previously reported, U.S. forces carried out a rescue operation late Saturday night to recover the downed pilot. The mission involved a difficult ground effort and an intense firefight with Iranian forces. Despite being injured during the ejection from the aircraft, the pilot was successfully located, extracted, and transported out of the area.
Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported that the operation did not result in any American fatalities. She also noted that multiple branches of the U.S. military participated in the mission.
A source familiar with the situation told Griffin that the recovery effort required careful coordination and was highly complex due to the circumstances on the ground.
Videos circulating on X appeared to show just how dangerous the operation was, capturing scenes that reflected the scale of the fighting involved.
In an interview with Axios, President Trump provided additional details about the rescue. He explained that when U.S. officials first received a message from the stranded pilot, there was concern it might have been a trap designed by Iranian forces to lure American troops into an ambush.
According to President Trump, the pilot transmitted a brief and somewhat unusual phrase over the radio.
“He said, ‘Power be to God,’” Trump said during the interview.
President Trump added that the wording initially sounded like a phrase commonly associated with Muslim expressions of faith.
Later, a U.S. defense official confirmed the account but clarified that the pilot’s message was slightly different, reporting that the words spoken were “God is good.” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth echoed that phrase in a post on X the following morning.
The successful rescue of the pilot and the safe return of the service members involved marked the end of a dangerous mission carried out under combat conditions. Supporters of the operation have pointed to the moment as a reminder of the role faith and determination can play during moments of extreme danger.
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