These are the words of a US Air Force officer who was aboard an American F-15 fighter jet that was shot down over southern Iran during the war in April.

The pilot’s real name has not been disclosed and he has been identified as Bravo. After the aircraft was shot down, another crew member was rescued within a few hours. However, the second officer was rescued from Iranian territory nearly 50 hours later in a difficult operation while suffering severe injuries.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for shooting down the aircraft. A race then began between the United States and Iran over who would reach the missing US Air Force officer first. Iranian authorities also announced a $66,000 reward for information to help locate him.

According to US President Donald Trump, 155 aircraft took part in the rescue mission, including four bombers, 64 fighter jets, 48 refuelling tankers, 13 rescue aircraft and others.

In an interview with CBS News programme 60 Minutes, a partner organisation of the BBC in the United States, the officer was identified as Bravo instead of his real name. The other officer, identified as Alpha, did not give an interview to CBS News.

Around five months after the incident, Bravo described the 50 hours he spent severely injured in a difficult mountainous region of southern Iran.

‘We realised we could no longer continue flying’

Bravo said that after the missile struck, he and the pilot tried to save the aircraft. However, at one point, they realised that continuing the flight was no longer possible and decided to eject.

‘I wasn’t focused on the speed at which I was falling. Instead, I was focused on trying to fix the problems in front of me and doing whatever I could to untangle or separate the pieces of the parachute,’ Bravo said.

He described his survival as a miracle because the high-speed impact with the ground fractured his back, shoulder and arm. His ankle was also twisted, while his head and face were injured and bleeding. Despite his condition, Bravo managed to move away from the crash site.

US military experts estimated that the speed at which he hit the ground was between approximately 70 and 100 miles per hour, or 113 to 161 kilometres per hour.

‘We are trained to adapt to circumstances and overcome difficulties. Despite being injured, I moved away from the landing site as quickly as I could,’ he said.

The second US Air Force officer, identified as Alpha, declined to give an interview to CBS.

The two officers who escaped from the destroyed aircraft became separated from each other and had to avoid Iranian forces while waiting to be rescued by US special forces.

‘I kept walking despite my injuries because I feared Iranian forces’

According to CBS News, the two-seat F-15E fighter jet, worth around $30 million, was shot down by a shoulder-fired missile costing approximately $100,000.

Bravo said that despite his injuries, he continued walking because he feared Iranian forces and eventually climbed to a high mountain peak. ‘I didn’t want to give up and then end up appearing on Iranian television screens,’ he said.

Bravo said the crew initially tried to save the aircraft, but it soon became clear that continuing the flight was impossible.

Strong winds separated the two men during their descent. They landed approximately eight kilometres apart. Bravo’s parachute had