The U.S. military's rescue of a downed airman in Iran was "absolutely incredible," retired Navy pilot Matthew Buckley told Newsmax Monday.
Buckley told "American Agenda" that the mission shows the skill of America's armed forces and that every aspect of the rescue was amazing.
"There is no other military on the face of this planet that can fight its way into bad guy country, set up a temporary airport," he said.
Buckley described how U.S. forces performed a hasty airstrip setup well inside Iran to support aircraft, including small helicopters, to complete the final stage of the rescue of the downed airman.
"We actually set up a temporary airport that had little birds," he said.
"Those C-130s coughed up a couple of small helicopters to be able to go pick up this back seat, or this wizzo, and then to fight our way out," Buckley said, referencing the transport aircraft used to transport helicopters during the mission to rescue the missing weapon systems officer.
"This is just absolutely peak American exceptionalism at its height," he said.
Buckley said the mission will be talked about for decades.
"We're talking about all levels of government, the CIA, deception campaign. Hey, go look over here, potentially. And they did," he said.
"And we actually had a decoy search and rescue force going in that direction to completely confuse the Iranians — just an absolute master class."
Buckley said the successful mission is another indicator to nations that want to tangle with the U.S. that "[w]e're not going to leave anybody behind, no matter what the price tag is."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.