F-22 Raptor carried American flag into historic Syrian combat mission

One of the F-22 Raptors used in Tuesday’s historic airstrikes brought an extra passenger along: the American flag.

The U.S. Air Force released a photo of one of the pilots with the flag in his cockpit. The picture was taken by a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft, The Aviationist reported Thursday.

 “We believe we hit what we were aiming at,” Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said during an appearance on MSNBC shortly after the airstrikes.

Capt. Chris Hoyler, an Air Force spokesperson, told ABC News on Thursday that the decision to bring the American flag along was not unusual for a combat operation.

The mission was the first time the stealth jets were used in combat since officially entering the U.S. arsenal in 2005.