Much is being written about the rescue mission to extract the second officer - a WSO* - of an F-15 shot down over Iran. The pilot had already been rescued.
In many ways the rescuers did successfully what an earlier group failed to accomplish when our embassy staff in Iran was being held hostage some 47 years ago. The mission Carter sent failed miserably, the one Trump sent succeeded spectacularly.
Credit where credit is due, SecWar Hegseth is racking up impressive wins. The contrast with Biden’s tail-between-legs pullout of Afghanistan is night and day. For the moment at least, the US military is a weapon you don’t want pointed at your country.
*A WSO or Weapons Systems Officer isn’t the pilot, though he or she may fly parts of the mission. WSO combines roles of navigator and bombardier plus electronics warfare. Where you’ve seen the role is the first Top Gun film where Maverick’s other crew member Goose was a Wizzo (WSO) who dies in a bailout while in training.
