US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says the downed US airman’s first message to American forces was “God is good”.

“The Iranians are still asking themselves ‘how did they do this?’” Hegseth adds. “One downed airman evaded capture for more than a day, scaling rugged ridges while hunted by the enemy.

“When he was finally able to activate his emergency transponder, his first message was simple, and it was powerful. He sent the message: ‘God is good’,” he further says. “In that moment of isolation and danger, his faith and fighting spirit shone through.”

Hegseth adds that the pilot was shot down on Friday, spent Saturday in a cave and was rescued on “Easter Sunday”.

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