A “seriously wounded” US Air Force colonel was rescued after ejecting from his shot-down fighter jet over Iran. Despite his injuries, the F-15E weapons officer evaded capture for 36 hours behind enemy lines after punching out. What many people don’t realize is that ejection can be a shockingly violent and even deadly procedure that wreaks havoc on the body, potentially shrinking a pilot’s height by up to two inches. But why is ejecting from a fighter jet so traumatic? We spoke to TOPGUN graduate and No Fallen Heroes Founder Matthew 'Whiz' Buckley to break it down.