USAF Capt. Paul T. Johnson, in his A-10 Thunderbolt II, locates a Navy F-14 fighter pilot who has ejected in Iraqi territory. Johnson destroys a threatening Iraqi truck to allow a USAF MH-53J Pave Low helicopter to rescue the pilot. Johnson receives the Air Force Cross. The Pave Low helicopter crew earned the 1991 Mackay Trophy.
F-15E Aviator Missing in Iran Rescued by US Forces
April 5, 2026
The second crew member of the F-15E has been rescued from Iran by U.S. forces and is alive, and American forces involved in the operation are believed to be safe, a U.S. official told Air & Space Forces Magazine