Former US Commander: US Military Upholds Tradition, Rescues Comrades in Enemy Territory, Giving Iran a Painful Lesson

A US F-15E fighter jet was shot down by Iranian artillery fire on the 3rd. Later that day, two military helicopters rescued the pilot, but the second person on board went missing in the Iranian mountains, with only a handgun for self-defense. The US therefore launched an emergency search and rescue operation, deploying dozens of US commandos, dozens of fighter jets, and helicopters. This morning, US President Donald Trump announced that the missing personnel had been found "deep in the Iranian mountains." It was reported that in this high-risk operation, the US used bombs and weapon firepower to prevent Iranian forces from approaching. Former US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander, retired General Frank McKenzie, offered several observations on the operation to rescue the missing US Air Force personnel today on CBS's "Face the Nation." He argued that the success of this operation could "give Iran a painful lesson" and praised the execution of the plan as "quite effective." McKenzie said, "We train for these types of operations constantly. Every time we put airmen into enemy airspace, we always have a detailed, well-thought-out rescue plan," and "that's a very fundamental part of who we are as American fighting men and women." US officials stated that during the search and rescue process, two transport aircraft were unable to take off from a remote base inside Iran and were deliberately destroyed by the US military to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands. On the 3rd, another A-10 Warthog attack aircraft participating in the search and rescue mission was hit, forcing the pilot to eject, who was subsequently rescued in the Persian Gulf. In response, McKenzie pointed out that although the US lost several aircraft in the operation, "it takes a year to build an airplane," while "it takes 200 years to build a military tradition of leaving no one behind." McKenzie also told CBS News reporter Ed O'Keefe on the program that although Iranian leaders called on all people to turn over the person, the weapon systems officer, who had been hiding in Iran for more than a day, could not be found. "This may be a sign of discontent, I don't know, but if you're a senior leader in Tehran, you probably wouldn't be very happy." (Compiled by Yang Chao-yen) 1150406