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Local help for Americans in the Middle East
Grey Bull Rescue, a Tampa-based group founded by Bryan Stern, completed its 805th mission by evacuating about 300 Americans from the Middle East to Washington, D.C. FOX 13's Danielle Zulkosky reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - There are Americans abroad still looking for a way back to the United States amid instability in the Middle East.
That's where Grey Bull Rescue steps in to help. The Tampa-based group is founded and managed by Bryan Stern.
"We got a request for up to 500 people today," Stern said.
The backstory:
The group is now on the ground in Jordan, actively working to help Americans.
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"We're still here because we're still getting requests for evacuations from people all over the place in multiple countries," Stern said.
This group flew home 300 Americans to Washington D.C. This was their 805th mission.
Courtesy: Grey Bull Rescue
"We'll be crossing 8,600 lives saved here very shortly, probably by the end of the week," Stern said. "This is what we do. My team and I, this is what we do, we rescue and evacuate American lives."
This is nothing new for Stern and his team. They have experience in places ranging from Syria to Haiti to Ukraine.
What they're saying:
"Any Americans, anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances be it," Stern said. "War, conflict, natural disaster, hostages."
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The team is working hand in hand with the State Department.
The American ambassador to Jordan, James Holtsnider, met with the team on Saturday.
"We've had our ups and downs, depending on where," Stern said. "We've had friction because this stuff is hard. This stuff is very hard. Not everything is rosy. If Grey Bull Rescue is in town, it means that lots of people have had a very bad day."
By the numbers:
These missions are not free. It costs between $15,000-$50,000 to rescue one person.
Courtesy: Grey Bull Rescue
Stern said it was on the higher end this time as the team put people up in hotels while they waited to get in the air.
If you would like to support Grey Bull Rescue in their work, you can learn more on their website.
The Source: Information in this story comes from interviews with Grey Bull Rescue done by FOX 13's Danielle Zulkosky.