March 1, 2026 • 6 mins
The U.S.-Israeli joint military operation against Iran has left Americans stranded in various locations across the Middle East that are targets or potential targets. A Tampa-based nonprofit funded by private donations is moving to assist those who say they need to get out. We speak again with Bryan Stern, an Army and Navy veteran with Special Operations experience, founder and chairman of Grey Bull Rescue.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. Gray Bull Rescue,
the veteran lad and donor supported worldwide rescue organization, is
responding to the new conflict between the US and Israel
and Iran. The chairman and the founder, Brian Stern, is
on his way in that part of the world and
he is speaking with us from there. Brian Stern, welcome in.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Thanks for having us. I appreciate it well.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Of course, your group has executed hundreds of missions worldwide,
including many in that part of the world, and with
the current events happening right now, with the conflict between
Iran and Israel in the US, you're working to help
Americans get out of that part of the world if
(00:46):
they need to. And I guess the first question I
could ask you is what Americans in the region should
be doing right now to prepare if they need to leave.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
So we've my team and I've conducted eight hundred for
missions over the last four and a half years, hundreds
of them in the Middle East, from Israel to Gaza, Lebanon,
Syria and other places. Americans who are stuck in the
middle of this mess should should if they are safe,
(01:17):
they should stay safe, don't go trapsing out. We call it,
we say fraternity rules. Don't leave fund to find fun
if you're good where you are. State. But the other
thing they should do is register with the state department
with a step program. And the third thing they should
do is register with Graybel Rescue. If you're stuck and
you need to get out, go to grabel Rescue dot org.
And that's where you can go to That's where you
(01:37):
can go to get help. Also, that's where your viewers
can go to give help. Grable Rescue dot org. We
are entirely donor funded. And these operations they do cost money.
Airplanes cost money, buses cost money. It all cost money.
So that's what everybody and anyone, everyone that's listening fits
into one of those two categories. You're either in trouble
(01:59):
and you need help, or you're not in trouble and
you can give help.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
All right, now, of course, there's an evacuation window. There's
a time to get out, and how do you identify
that and kind of kind of walk us through the
process here what it means when the aerospace space starts
shutting down, as I think happened in parts of the
region yesterday, and also borders shutting down. How people need
to negotiate that.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah, it's very it's very difficult. That's why, that's that's
why we're here because this is what we do and
this is what we do best. Lots of people think
that they know how these things work. In reality, they don't,
so it can be very, very, very dangerous. There is
there are people who will try and do this by
themselves and maybe that works, but maybe it doesn't work.
(02:49):
So the situation on the ground gets so new, is
very volatile, it's very dynamic, it's very fluid. Borders are open,
borders closed. It's also ramadan with the things flying through
the sky, drones, missiles and otherwise. Airspace is going to open,
airspace is going to close. There's a huge amount of
band information out there. There's a huge amount of misinformation
(03:11):
out there by design, and that puts Americans at rist.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Now talk less of course about the risk situation and
the regional stability there or lack thereof right now. We
saw yesterday with the events that were happening at the
Dubai Airport. There are so many flights that are going
through that part of the world and it's so vulnerable.
(03:38):
If you're in the air, you have the Strait of
Hormuz closing, you have the elevated terrorism threat. You could
have Iranian proxies like Hezbollah who could take action. And
of course the threat is not confined to Iran or Israel.
You have several other countries that have been targeted. What
does that mean for America abroad and maybe even within
(04:01):
the States.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
It means that this is just getting started, is what
it means. Uh. The IRGC, the RGC has Bola. Their
proxies and surrogates and affiliates are global enterprise. There are
there are IRGC operatives and his BOLA operatives in Tampa, Florida.
So uh. They these are the guys that invented the
suicide best. These are the guys that invented how to
(04:25):
take hostages. These are the guys that invented I E.
D S. These are the real pros from Dover, and
they've been getting ready for this for many, many, many,
many many years. At the moment, there's a power vacuum.
Now that's what you hear on TV. Oh my god,
there's a power vacking. No, it doesn't really matter. They've
been ready. They've been ready for they have they have
succession plans. They they're very strategic, they have succession plans,
(04:47):
they have key man policies, all that good stuff. So
they're they're they're ready. What you're seeing now is a response,
not the response, and hopefully no response. Hopefully they're deterred.
It's not that we're going to be.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And to wrap it up, what do people need again?
What do people need to keep in mind? And the
resources you have available and how those are supported.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
So we have maritime options, air options, and ground options
depending on the country and depending on the circumstance in
the region. We've done eight hundred and four missions, that's
almost eighty five hundred lives save my team and I,
so we are very good at what we do. What
does that mean to you?
Speaker 2 (05:31):
It means that if you're in trouble, go to grabel
rescue dot org, ask for help and will come for you.
If you're not in trouble, go to grabel rescue dot
org and please donate. Airplanes and helicopters and buses and
boats all cost money. It all cost money. We need
your help.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Grabel Rescue chairman and founder Brian Stern, thank you very much.
You've been talking with us from that part of the world,
from the Middle East, as your efforts begin to hopefully
get folks who are in harm's way out of harm's
way in that part of the world. Thank you again
for taking the time
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. Gray Bull Rescue,
the veteran lad and donor supported worldwide rescue organization, is
responding to the new conflict between the US and Israel
and Iran. The chairman and the founder, Brian Stern, is
on his way in that part of the world and
he is speaking with us from there. Brian Stern, welcome in.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Thanks for having us. I appreciate it well.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Of course, your group has executed hundreds of missions worldwide,
including many in that part of the world, and with
the current events happening right now, with the conflict between
Iran and Israel in the US, you're working to help
Americans get out of that part of the world if
(00:46):
they need to. And I guess the first question I
could ask you is what Americans in the region should
be doing right now to prepare if they need to leave.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
So we've my team and I've conducted eight hundred for
missions over the last four and a half years, hundreds
of them in the Middle East, from Israel to Gaza, Lebanon,
Syria and other places. Americans who are stuck in the
middle of this mess should should if they are safe,
(01:17):
they should stay safe, don't go trapsing out. We call it,
we say fraternity rules. Don't leave fund to find fun
if you're good where you are. State. But the other
thing they should do is register with the state department
with a step program. And the third thing they should
do is register with Graybel Rescue. If you're stuck and
you need to get out, go to grabel Rescue dot org.
And that's where you can go to That's where you
(01:37):
can go to get help. Also, that's where your viewers
can go to give help. Grable Rescue dot org. We
are entirely donor funded. And these operations they do cost money.
Airplanes cost money, buses cost money. It all cost money.
So that's what everybody and anyone, everyone that's listening fits
into one of those two categories. You're either in trouble
(01:59):
and you need help, or you're not in trouble and
you can give help.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
All right, now, of course, there's an evacuation window. There's
a time to get out, and how do you identify
that and kind of kind of walk us through the
process here what it means when the aerospace space starts
shutting down, as I think happened in parts of the
region yesterday, and also borders shutting down. How people need
to negotiate that.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah, it's very it's very difficult. That's why, that's that's
why we're here because this is what we do and
this is what we do best. Lots of people think
that they know how these things work. In reality, they don't,
so it can be very, very, very dangerous. There is
there are people who will try and do this by
themselves and maybe that works, but maybe it doesn't work.
(02:49):
So the situation on the ground gets so new, is
very volatile, it's very dynamic, it's very fluid. Borders are open,
borders closed. It's also ramadan with the things flying through
the sky, drones, missiles and otherwise. Airspace is going to open,
airspace is going to close. There's a huge amount of
band information out there. There's a huge amount of misinformation
(03:11):
out there by design, and that puts Americans at rist.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Now talk less of course about the risk situation and
the regional stability there or lack thereof right now. We
saw yesterday with the events that were happening at the
Dubai Airport. There are so many flights that are going
through that part of the world and it's so vulnerable.
(03:38):
If you're in the air, you have the Strait of
Hormuz closing, you have the elevated terrorism threat. You could
have Iranian proxies like Hezbollah who could take action. And
of course the threat is not confined to Iran or Israel.
You have several other countries that have been targeted. What
does that mean for America abroad and maybe even within
(04:01):
the States.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
It means that this is just getting started, is what
it means. Uh. The IRGC, the RGC has Bola. Their
proxies and surrogates and affiliates are global enterprise. There are
there are IRGC operatives and his BOLA operatives in Tampa, Florida.
So uh. They these are the guys that invented the
suicide best. These are the guys that invented how to
(04:25):
take hostages. These are the guys that invented I E.
D S. These are the real pros from Dover, and
they've been getting ready for this for many, many, many,
many many years. At the moment, there's a power vacuum.
Now that's what you hear on TV. Oh my god,
there's a power vacking. No, it doesn't really matter. They've
been ready. They've been ready for they have they have
succession plans. They they're very strategic, they have succession plans,
(04:47):
they have key man policies, all that good stuff. So
they're they're they're ready. What you're seeing now is a response,
not the response, and hopefully no response. Hopefully they're deterred.
It's not that we're going to be.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And to wrap it up, what do people need again?
What do people need to keep in mind? And the
resources you have available and how those are supported.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
So we have maritime options, air options, and ground options
depending on the country and depending on the circumstance in
the region. We've done eight hundred and four missions, that's
almost eighty five hundred lives save my team and I,
so we are very good at what we do. What
does that mean to you?
Speaker 2 (05:31):
It means that if you're in trouble, go to grabel
rescue dot org, ask for help and will come for you.
If you're not in trouble, go to grabel rescue dot
org and please donate. Airplanes and helicopters and buses and
boats all cost money. It all cost money. We need
your help.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Grabel Rescue chairman and founder Brian Stern, thank you very much.
You've been talking with us from that part of the world,
from the Middle East, as your efforts begin to hopefully
get folks who are in harm's way out of harm's
way in that part of the world. Thank you again
for taking the time
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