Project Dynamo is an organization whose sole mission is to rescue American citizens in Afghanistan. 

This team of nine, consisting of former military and humanitarians based in Tampa, started in August and has already rescued over 2,000 people. 

“We’ve had people that went for funerals and got stuck, we’ve had people that went out for weddings and got stuck,” says founder Bryan Stern. 

Over the weekend, more than a dozen children were among the 39 rescued from a safe house near Kabul.

The plane landed at JFK in New York.

While the logistics took months of planning, the operation in Afghanistan took less than 48 hours. 

“The planning, the flights, the approvals, the manifest, it’s a lot,” says Stern. “You can’t move 50 people quietly in Tampa, how do you move 50 people quietly in Kabul?” 

Everything was privately funded — from the planning, to the plane. 

“Funding is really the hardest part,” says Stern. “Because of COVID, costs add up quickly.” 

He says, no one should be left behind — so until the need is gone, he’ll continue to work and bring as many people back home. 

“I’m a 911 first responder, it’s crazy to me that i’m flying Afghanistan Americans into New York…but they are Americans, they have a right to be here,” says Stern. 

For more information on Project Dynamo and to donate to their cause, click here for their website.