When natural and man-made disasters happen, local first responders are often overwhelmed with trying to save and protect their own families and property. Large care organizations take a significant amount of time to plan and mobilize support to the affected areas. Britnie Locke saw this gap in support, and with the help of her husband, Sergeant First Class (SFC) (R) Jeremy Locke, founded Aerial Recovery, a Veteran nonprofit that has the capability to respond quickly and provide a stop gap of life-saving support to people when they need it the most.

What is Aerial Recovery?

Aerial Recovery started with Hurricane Dorian relief and evolved into a global effort to save lives, eliminate confusion, maximize support, and accelerate recovery in natural and man-made disasters, as well as assist in human-trafficking around the world. Jeremy, along with several other Special Operations and military Veterans, realized they could utilize their service skills to respond to all sorts of disasters. From an Apache helicopter pilot to medical personnel, Aerial Recovery offers a complete package that can quickly deploy to austere environments, plan for logistics and support, and launch recovery missions that save lives. So far, they’ve responded to hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and even the war in Ukraine.

Aerial Recovery volunteers work under the permission and guidance of the local governments and collaborate with local nonprofit organizations and church networks that are tied in with the people in the communities.

Heal The Heroes, a nested initiative for transitioning Servicemembers, is a program initiative of Aerial Recovery that is dear to Jeremy’s heart. After experiencing his own amount of hardship both in the military and during transition, he realized that providing a group setting with camaraderie, training, and a purpose to help others, was a great way to overcome transition challenges and heal invisible wounds. The Veterans who participate in Heal The Heroes are given the opportunity to join Aerial Recovery and provide life-saving support during emergencies.

Success in Ukraine

Recently, Aerial Recovery had monumental success while deployed in Ukraine. Orphanages close to the front lines in the eastern portion of the country faced danger and exploitation. People were wounded and stranded. Children were at risk. Aerial Recovery volunteers were able to use their military skills like Combat Life Saver (CLS) and Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) to treat and safely evacuate more than 900 children to western Ukraine. In total, Aerial Recovery evacuated more than 6000 people during their two-month long mission.

Get Involved

Like any major mission, it takes a village of support, networking, and donations from like-minded people. Please visit their website if you’d like more information about the program or give them a call at 615-455-0961 if you want to talk to someone about ways to get involved. Aerial Recovery welcomes monetary donations, supply donations, partner organizations and personal volunteers.

For More Information

Please watch the full video of this week’s Your Next Mission^® video podcast episode on our website, our YouTube channel, or our newly launched Rumble video channel.

Your Next Mission^® is a program initiative of the American Freedom Foundation, a non-profit
dedicated to serving our Veterans and Families. Your Next Mission^® video podcast with host
12th SMA (R) Jack L. Tilley features insightful conversation with subject matter experts from the
military and civilian communities. It’s a place where we can have frank and honest
conversation, tackle the tough questions, share stories, and have some fun along the way.