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MIAMI – After weeks of meticulous planning, a team of U.S. military veterans from Project DYNAMO successfully conducted a high-risk rescue operation of an American family from Haiti on Monday.
The mission, known as Operation Yellowtail, faced extreme danger due to escalating violence among rival gangs in the impoverished island nation, whose government has collapsed. The mission’s objective was to medically evacuate a Christian missionary and his family, including their infant daughter, who has had health complications since birth.
Trapped within the mission compound amidst ongoing gang violence, the Texas family had been unable to escape. Just days before the operation, a local gang decapitated a man and left his head outside the compound, which is located in the Haitian commune of Saint-Marc and has been a target of the gangs due to its high walls and strategic location.
The operation commenced from Miami, Florida at 4:30 a.m. Eastern Time and involved three aircraft, including a private plane and helicopter, as well as cooperation with two additional nations and support from the government of the Dominican Republic. The family was first evacuated by helicopter from Saint-Marc, Haiti and transferred to a private plane, which was standing-by in Cap-Haitien, Haiti. After a brief stop in a third-party nation, the Project DYNAMO team, and the family they rescued, safely landed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, late Monday night.
“We are extremely grateful to the government of the Dominican Republic and the Directorate of National Intelligence for their support with this mission. Additionally, we want to sincerely thank U.S. Senator Ted Cruz for his ongoing support throughout this process. Without the help of him and his office, this mission would not have been possible,” said Mario Duarte, CEO of Project DYNAMO. “The bottom line is this: when and where no one else will go, if Americans are in harm’s way, Project DYNAMO continues to demonstrate, we will respond.”
On Tuesday, the team from Project DYNAMO was escorting the family through a series of medical evaluations before meeting with the American Embassy in Santo Domingo. Once the medical evaluations and paperwork with the U.S. State Department are finalized, Project DYNAMO plans to escort the family and reunite them with their loved ones in the U.S. later this week.
As with many of Project DYNAMO’s operations, this mission was initiated by a plea from a concerned family member. Dianne Ennis, from Conroe, Texas, reached out to Project DYNAMO for the evacuation of her 24-year-old son Zachary, 26-year-old daughter-in-law Mica, and 5-month old granddaughter Niah.
“We had family, friends, and neighbors praying for a successful outcome, and with God’s help, everyone made it to safety,” said Dianne Ennis. “My entire family is so grateful to Project DYNAMO and their team for working so hard to get our son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter safely out of Haiti. Thank you, Project DYNAMO!”
About Project DYNAMO: Founded during the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan in 2021, Project DYNAMO is an international search, rescue, aid, and assistance 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Florida with worldwide operations. Project DYNAMO operates where the United States government cannot, or does not. The primary objective of Project DYNAMO is to provide assistance to those impacted in disaster areas and conflict zones throughout the world. Notably, Project DYNAMO conducted the first air-rescue missions from Afghanistan after the Taliban took control and has negotiated the release and exfiltrated numerous Americans from captivity and false imprisonment.
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