In a Monday press conference following the Easter Sunday rescue of a wounded U.S. Weapons Systems Officer from southwest Iran—initially reported amid intense evasion efforts—President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth revealed the airman's faith-filled message to rescuers: 'God is good.' The operation, involving over 155 aircraft, succeeded without American losses.
Building on initial reports of the F-15E Strike Eagle downed on Good Friday, which saw the pilot recovered hours later and the injured Weapons Systems Officer evade capture for 48 hours by treating wounds, scaling cliffs, hiding in a crevice, and signaling via beacon, Trump and Hegseth provided new operational insights. Hegseth highlighted the airman's resilience: 'In that moment of isolation and danger, his faith and fighting spirit shone through. A pilot reborn, all home and accounted for, a nation rejoicing. God is good.' He stressed, 'We leave no man behind. And that is not luck.' Trump described the deception against thousands of Iranian searchers: simulating activity at seven false locations to scatter them, then striking the real site, eliminating threats, and withdrawing cleanly. 'We wanted them to look in different areas, so we were scattered all over like we were right on top of them,' Trump said. The massive effort deployed four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 tankers, and 13 rescue planes. Two aircraft became stuck in wet sand at a remote site; personnel were evacuated by lighter planes as the originals were destroyed. Hegseth and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tweeted 'God is Good' on Easter Sunday.
