How does someone – even a military hero with immense physical prowess and training – manage to survive for about 36 to 48 hours in the mountainous terrain of southwestern Iran, probably without food and little water?
How can such a person live with the high probability of suffering leg fractures or other lower limb injuries from being thrown from an airplane flying at high speed?
And how can Navy SEALs, Air Force Special Operations, Army Special Operations Aviation, search and rescue and combat medics, flanked by 150 aircraft, possibly find him? As CIA Director John Ratcliffe said, it’s like finding “a grain of sand in the desert.”
The answer is a combination of great skill on the part of the rescuers, God’s presence, the pilot’s deep faith and the body’s survival mechanism known as the “fight-or-flight” response.
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Ultimately, SEAL Team Six commandos extracted the officer and he was first taken to a U.S. military medical facility in Kuwait, where he will receive high-quality care, including wound treatment, hydration, nutrition and any orthopedic interventions needed. He will undoubtedly recover – a clear medical miracle.
This weapons systems officer, an Air Force colonel with survival and evasion training, reportedly climbed more than 7,000 feet on a ridge and remained hidden in a crevasse for nearly 48 hours.
President Trump said during a press conference on Monday that the pilot was “climbing climbing walls, bleeding quite heavily, and treating his own wounds.”
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During his time on the mountain he could have used bandages and tourniquets to stop the blood flow, but he would soon also have needed water to replenish the lost fluids. He is reportedly a man of deep spiritual faith, which has clearly helped him survive, and when he finally made radio contact, he sent the message: “God is good.”
Survival under these conditions is clearly a medical miracle. The team that rescued him consists of angels sent by God.
He was spotted by the CIA with a camera 40 miles away. According to the president, “They kept the camera on him for 45 minutes. He didn’t move. And they said, ‘You know, probably wrong, but we see something moving.’ This is a huge mountain, vast, full of bushes and trees. “We see something moving 40 miles away.” It was the head of a human being,” the president said. “‘I’m telling you, it’s moving.’ And suddenly, 45 minutes later, he moved a lot, got up and they said, ‘We got him.’
As Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said at the press conference with President Trump, “in that moment of isolation and danger, his faith and fighting spirit shone through.”
The latest book by Dr. Marc Siegel’s “The Miracles Among Us: How God’s Grace Plays a Role in Healing.” (FNC)
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It is unclear whether the downed airman received help from local residents opposed to the Iranian regime or whether he made it through on his own, but either way, his survival is a faith-driven medical miracle.
The way human physiology responds to threat clearly played a vital role. At a time like this, the body goes into fight-or-flight mode, also known as an acute stress response, with an outpouring of stress hormones – epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol.
This is what happens: heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increase. Energy is released as the body directs blood to the muscles and away from the skin. The person feels increased alertness and all senses are heightened, providing a survival advantage.
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Although a person can go several days without food, water is essential for organ function, and dehydration can quickly lead to organ failure, especially if there is persistent bleeding.
It is unknown how much water the downed colonel had, but it was unlikely to be enough for anyone with significant injuries.
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Survival under these conditions is clearly a medical miracle. The team that rescued him consists of angels sent by God. As further details are released in the coming days, they will provide the exact story in which God, great military prowess, and personal power all came together.
Clearly, the colonel’s will to survive overcame both the enormous physical challenges and the looming danger he faced in Iran.
CLICK HERE TO DR. MARC SIEGEL
