Wreckage is seen from what Iranian authorities say is a U.S. military helicopter that crashed during a mission to rescue the missing American pilot of an F-15E that was downed earlier this week, in a handout image provided on April 5, 2026, in an unspecified location in Iran. (Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance – Handout / Getty Images)
By Jack Davis April 6, 2026 at 4:00am
On an Easter Sunday in which millions of Americans prayed that a missing F-15E weapons officer would be rescued, the phrase “God is good” echoed with a deep, resonating impact.
The story was told by Axios, which said that the expression of faith from a highly religious warfighter at one time led to concerns that the phrase may have come from someone else.
President Donald Trump said that after the weapons officer ejected from the jet as it was crashing toward Iranian soil, he said, “Power be to God.”
A U.S. defense official whom Axios did not identify said Trump had the words wrong, and that the officer actually said, “God is good.”
God is good.
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) April 5, 2026
That phrase was adopted by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in a triumphant Sunday morning post on X.
But before the weapons officer was rescued, there were concerns that the message could have come from an Iranian captor.
“What he said on the radio sounded like something a Muslim would say,” Trump said.
And so as officials tried to find his location and assemble a rescue team, the weapons officer’s faith came into play.
🚨BREAKING: President Trump just revealed that the rescued American hero’s VERY FIRST transmission after going down in Iran was “GOD IS GOOD!”
INCREDIBLE!
America is a Christian Nation and our faith will ALWAYS be at the forefront. Absolute masterclass! 🙏🏼🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Az3PMbbxtC
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) April 5, 2026
Trump said that inquiries about the officer made it clear he was religious, and that citing God as he headed for an uncertain future would be in keeping with his faith.
“It was not completely clear early on, but we stuck with it and verified he was alive and not captured. And those who knew him said he is religious,” the official said.
Trump said the rescue came as “thousands of these savages were hunting him down,” referring to Iran’s army.
“Even the population was looking for him. They offered people a bonus if they captured him,” he said.
The rescued F-15 crew member said one thing into his radio after he ejected from his jet over Iran:
“God is Good”
✝️ 🙏🏻
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 5, 2026
Although some reports indicated there was no fighting during the dramatic rescue, the New York Post reported that commandos and local tribesmen dueled during the rescue.
CBS News reported that the officer had nothing more than a handgun with which to defend himself.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues
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