AERIAL RECOVERY’S ORIGIN STORY
The story of Aerial Recovery is not just an organization’s history—it’s a raw, real journey of purpose, frustration, and relentless determination to bring healing to a broken world. It all started when Britnie Turner was only 12 years old. Watching a documentary on sex trafficking, she felt something ignite deep inside her—a fire that set her life on a different course. That documentary became a turning point, giving her a purpose that drove every decision thereafter: she wanted to be a force for good in a world that desperately needed it.
Turner spent her teenage years on mission trips to some of the world’s most desperate regions. She threw herself into serving, but the deeper she got, the more disheartened she became. The suffering was relentless, the desperation overwhelming, and the so-called solutions were temporary at best. She saw families so poor they would sell their children into sex trafficking just to survive. She saw children with empty eyes, scarred from horrors they should never have known. Each time she returned home, it became clearer that something more had to be done. That’s when she realized the only way to make a lasting difference was to tackle the root problems by creating economic opportunities where there were none.
With that in mind, she founded a real estate development company that wasn’t just about building structures but transforming struggling communities into thriving regions. She poured everything she had into this mission, but her path took a sudden turn in 2017. Britnie had bought a private island in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) to create a sanctuary for healing and transformation—a place where people could come to elevate their lives and return to the world with renewed purpose. But then, Hurricane Irma, the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic at the time, hit. Ten days later, Hurricane Maria, the second strongest, followed directly in its wake. The islands were left in ruins. Homes were flattened, lives were turned upside down, and the devastation seemed endless.
Seeing the chaos firsthand was gut-wrenching, but what frustrated Britnie even more was the broken disaster response system. Aid was slow to arrive, and well-meaning organizations seemed to be tripping over their own good intentions. She decided to take action. She launched a documentary series, BVI Stronger, to show the world what was happening and to connect people who cared with those who needed help. The outpouring of support was extraordinary, and she realized that what they were doing in the BVI could be applied to help people all over the world who were suffering in the wake of similar disasters.
Two years later, in 2019, when Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas, Turner took her then-boyfriend, Jeremy Locke, along to help with search and rescue, distribution of aid, and documenting the situation to spread awareness. Locke, a 20-year U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, had the skills to navigate chaotic disaster zones. However, the reality of the relief efforts they joined was a harsh reminder that many groups lacked the ability to act swiftly and effectively. Frustrated again, Jeremy switched into what Britnie calls “mission mode.” He instinctively began organizing, strategizing, and leading efforts to get people the help they so desperately needed. Britnie watched as he took charge, turning the tide of the mission in a matter of hours.
The experience was a revelation. Britnie saw not only the value of veterans like Jeremy in these environments but how much Jeremy himself came alive when he was doing this kind of work. He wasn’t just rescuing others; he was finding a new sense of purpose. She asked him if he had other friends in the military who might want to join them on future missions. Soon, they were bringing in teams of veterans to disaster zones all over the world, not just because it was the right thing to do, but because it was working. These were men and women who had been trained for the toughest conditions, and they could be the difference between life and death. However, they also saw that some veterans struggled in these situations because disaster zones looked and looked very similar to war zones, triggering old traumas from their pasts.
This became personal for Jeremy when he was in the process of retiring from his 20-year military career. As part of his retirement, he went through evaluations to determine his disability rating. The process left him feeling like he was being labeled “broken.” The man Britnie had fallen in love with—a man who had led life-saving missions and was known as a hero—began struggling with depression, feeling that his best years were behind him. Britnie saw firsthand what a lack of purpose could do to someone who had dedicated their life to service.
Together, they decided that purpose was the antidote, and created a program that didn’t just give veterans something to do, but something deeply meaningful the world truly needs. They launched the Heal the Heroes initiative, a year-long program that began with healing on their island sanctuary, The Aerial BVI. Here, veterans and first responders came together, bonded as a platoon, and faced the darkness that had crept into their lives. They worked through their struggles in a safe, supportive environment before transitioning into a mentorship phase and gained additional training to be equipped to lead humanitarian missions around the world. The program wasn’t about fixing something broken; it was about repurposing the skills, strength, and heart that these heroes had to offer.
Since then, Aerial Recovery has become a powerful force for good, mobilizing teams of Humanitarian Special Operators to rescue over 8,000 people in the past three years. Their missions have taken them to some of the world’s most dangerous and devastated places—rescuing children from sex trafficking, aiding in natural disaster relief, and even providing care for animals many times abandoned in the chaos. The organization has grown to include aftercare for trafficking survivors, support for families with adopting, and efforts to transform communities from the inside out.
The Mission of Aerial Recovery isn’t just about saving lives; it’s about giving people—both the rescued and the rescuers—a chance to heal and find purpose. It’s about taking the pain and suffering that exists in this world and using it as a catalyst for something greater. For Britnie, it’s about fulfilling a dream she had as a young girl who watched a documentary and refused to turn away from the darkness. For Jeremy, it’s about finding new meaning beyond the battlefield and showing other veterans that their fight isn’t over—that the world still needs them. Together, they are rewriting what it means to be a hero.
Aerial Recovery isn’t perfect, and the challenges they face are immense. But they don’t back down from the hard work, because they’ve seen too much to walk away. This is a story of redemption and resilience, of people who have chosen to lean into the world’s suffering rather than turn away. It’s a testament to the power of purpose, the strength of community, and the belief that with the right mission, even the most broken things can be transformed into something beautiful.
Aerial Recovery lives the message that hope is real, healing is possible, and we all have a role to play in making that a reality.
