00:22Three words nearly triggered a deadly trap.
00:26God is good.
00:29That was the message sent by a stranded U.S. airman deep inside Iran.
00:35And for a moment, it raised fears inside Washington that something was terribly wrong.
00:42According to Donald Trump, U.S. officials worried the transmission could have been a setup,
00:48a fake signal meant to lure American forces into an ambush.
00:53The airman was a weapons systems officer aboard an F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over southwestern Iran.
01:02He ejected, injured, and alone.
01:04For more than 24 hours, he survived in harsh, mountainous terrain,
01:10hiding inside a narrow rock crevice while Iranian forces and local search teams reportedly combed the area.
01:17There were even reports of rewards being offered for his capture.
01:21Cut off and under threat, the officer relied on survival training, minimizing use of his locator beacon to avoid detection.
01:31Instead, he used a secure, encrypted device to communicate.
01:35But that message, God is good, caused confusion.
01:38It was even misheard at first as power be to God, raising suspicions.
01:44Some feared it didn't sound like standard military communication.
01:49But those who knew him later confirmed he was deeply religious.
01:53The message was real.
01:55With his location finally tracked, the U.S. launched a high-risk rescue.
02:00The pilot from the same jet had already been recovered in a daring daytime operation under fire.
02:07But this mission was different.
02:09A nighttime extraction inside Iranian territory involving around 200 troops.
02:16As preparations began, the Central Intelligence Agency launched a deception operation,
02:22spreading false information that the airmen had already been found and moved.
02:27The aim? Draw Iranian forces away from the real rescue zone.
02:33Meanwhile, intelligence assets pinpointed the officer's exact location.
02:38Coordinates were sent to top U.S. leadership, and the mission was approved.
02:43According to Trump, Israel provided limited support, offering intelligence on troop movements
02:49and reportedly helping slow advancing forces near the area.
02:53Then came the extraction. Fast, precise, high risk, and against the odds, successful.
03:01A wounded airman rescued from deep inside enemy territory.
03:06All while a three-word message nearly changed the course of the mission.
03:11In modern warfare, survival isn't just about strength.
03:15Sometimes it's about being understood.
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