One month later... Grey Bull Rescue returns back to the U.S.

Author

Olivia Smith
April 06, 2026

31 Days Deployed. 400+ Americans Rescued.

Grey Bull Rescue operators returned home to Tampa last week after back-to-back missions in Mexico and the Middle East, having rescued more than 400 Americans in just 31 days across over a dozen operations.
That is what your support made possible. YOUR SUPPORT SAVED LIVES.

OPERATION: CONDOR REACH

Mexico | Cartel Violence

In late February, Operation: CONDOR REACH was launched to rescue Americans trapped in Mexico amid savage cartel violence following the killing of cartel leader El Mencho. Cartels responded with brutal impunity—roadblocks, arson, terror, shootings, and cold-blooded murders of men, women, and children—leaving Americans caught in a wave of narcoterrorism and bloodthirsty gangs with no help coming, so they called Grey Bull Rescue.

Our team of Special Operations and Intelligence Community veterans inserted into cartel-controlled territory and executed multiple high-risk recovery missions throughout the affected regions, saving lives at the SPEED OF NEED. We conducted air and ground operations, secure ground convoy movements, and employed tools ranging from technical surveillance to the full spectrum of tradecraft paired with real-time threat monitoring, including large evacuations and surgical “denied area ops”— like Operation: SIX PACK — rescuing Americans deep in cartel country.

OPERATION: CHESS MASTER

Israel, Middle East | Evacuations in Response to Iranian Missiles and Drone Strikes

Just as Mexico stabilized, the Middle East erupted. Grey Bull was home for barely a day before we were urgently launched for Operation: CHESS MASTER in the region. After weeks of military buildup, we had hoped that peace and diplomacy would prevail. They did not. When the U.S. struck Iran, Tehran unleashed an intense barrage of missiles, hypersonics, and suicide drones across the region. American bases, embassies, and civilians came under deadly threat. Embassies evacuated, airspace shut down, and American families were suddenly trapped beneath a hostile sky with no way to safety.

For more than a month, our team sustained a relentless OPTEMPO, conducting operations every day in Israel, the UAE, Jordan, and other countries—all under blistering attack, with nowhere to hide. We crossed dozens of borders, executed nearly four dozen ground movements, chartered aircraft, and overcame complex logistical challenges—possible only because of our highly trained and experienced team. Against staggering odds, our team achieved the impossible: saving lives at the SPEED OF NEED.

Fueled entirely by donor support, our SOF and Intelligence Community veterans, alongside expert Case Management teams, successfully rescued hundreds of Americans from a regional conflict from which there was no escape.

Your support allows Grey Bull Rescue to save lives at the SPEED OF NEED when time and options have run out. You can choose to live by our ethos, “Don’t be a spectator.”

A MISSION OF FIRSTS

Congresswoman Nancy Mace traveled to the region to help a stranded South Carolina family trapped in northern Israel. En route to Jordan, she searched for assistance but found none, until the SOF network referred her to Grey Bull Rescue. From the air, she passed along the family’s contact information.

By the time she landed—expecting to begin the mission—we had already rescued nine Americans who’d spent the night in a bomb shelter, and she was so impressed by Grey Bull’s work that she embedded with our team for nearly two weeks as we rescued hundreds more in danger.

Grey Bull Rescue is and will always remains absolutely apolitical.  It is one of our core values.  However, we also believe in recognizing real support when it shows up — and this operation made clear who was willing to help when American lives were on the line.

We worked closely with the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Israel, and the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan. Their consular teams, patriotic and dedicated like our own, played a crucial role in helping Americans continue their journey home. On one mission, U.S. Ambassador to Jordan James Holtsnider, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, met our team and 87 Americans being evacuated by Grey Bull Rescue as we departed for the United States—a powerful symbol of partnership, unity, and patriotism.

The U.S. Department of State stepped in and assisted with large chartered aviation assets to transport Americans back to U.S. soil during a critical phase of the mission, demonstrating a true public–private partnership when American lives were at stake.

Home for Now.

With your support and generosity, Grey Bull Rescue was deployed for an entire month, operated in seven countries, and brought 400+ Americans to safety—including mothers, fathers, infants, students, and babies—people of every background, and even a planeload of pets stranded in Saudi Arabia.

Although our operators are back in Tampa, the mission is not over. The war continues. The missiles continue. Americans still need help. Requests for evacuation and rescue have not stopped.

This month proved what your support makes possible: when Americans are trapped in danger and conventional options fail, Grey Bull Rescue charges into action—always, and fast.

Your support keeps Grey Bull Rescue ready for whatever comes next.

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