Air Force colonel shot down over Iran reveals desperate prayer in 50-hour fight to survive

An Air Force colonel shot down over Iran survived a terrifying fall, three broken bones and a two-day enemy manhunt after turning to God as his damaged parachute sent him plunging toward the desert.

The colonel, identified only by his mission call sign "Bravo," revealed in a new interview with CBS News’ "60 Minutes" how a desperate prayer began an extraordinary 50-hour fight to make it home alive.

"At one point when I looked up and saw no parachute, that was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen," Bravo said in his first public account of the April ordeal.

"So I paused, right then, and I prayed, ‘Lord, your will be done.

But if I’m getting through this, I need help.’" HOLLYWOOD LEGEND MAKING MOVIE ABOUT EPIC IRAN RESCUE MISSION TO SAVE F-15 FIGHTER JET CREW The colonel was the weapons systems officer seated behind the pilot of an F-15E Strike Eagle operating under the call sign Dude 44 when an Iranian shoulder-fired missile struck the aircraft April 2, according to CBS News.

OPERATION EPIC FURY SHATTERED IRAN’S POWER, BUT EXPOSED RISKS AMERICA CAN’T IGNORE The two-man crew had been assigned to attack industrial facilities tied to Iran’s drone and missile program near a mountainous region south of Isfahan, U.S.

Central Command leader Adm.

Brad Cooper told the outlet.

"We had air superiority, but clearly we weren’t flying over Kansas," Cooper said.

THE LEGACY OF 'EAGLE CLAW': HOW FAILURE HELPED BUILD AMERICA'S ELITE SPECIAL FORCES Bravo described the missile strike as feeling like the jet had been hit by a freight train.

He and the pilot, known as "Alpha," initially tried to save the roughly $30 million aircraft before realizing they had no choice but to eject.

Alpha escaped safely, but the missile had damaged Bravo’s parachute, sending him hurtling toward the ground at an estimated 70 to 100 mph, CBS reported.

SEAL TEAM 6 MEMBER REVEALS EPIC DETAILS OF OSAMA BIN LADEN RAID The violent landing broke Bravo’s back, arm and shoulder and left him stranded roughly five miles from Alpha in the heart of enemy territory.

Despite his injuries, Bravo moved away from his landing site and began climbing toward a roughly 7,000-foot ridgeline as daylight revealed the desert valley and steep cliffs surrounding him.