TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The founder of Grey Bull Rescue is back home in Tampa after helping evacuate more than 700 Americans from Israel.

Citizens like Max Kilman.

“They told us to meet at meeting spots at cities around the country. For me, it was Tel Aviv, at a certain time Sunday morning,” he said.

Kilman was one of 782 American citizens Grey Bull Rescue evacuated from Israel.

Reporter Nicole Rogers from News Channel 8 questioned, “While in a bomb shelter with missiles flying over from Iran to Israel, what thoughts are crossing your mind?”

“It’s quite surreal processing everything at that moment. Even if you feel calm, composed, and collected, in the back of your mind, you’re always thinking about getting out,” Kilman explained.

So when that notification came in from Greybull Rescue, Kilman did whatever he could to be there.

“When we received the alert, we hurried to the public bomb shelter and stayed there for a while as Iran launched three successive volleys,” he recounted.

Kilman said, not only did this affect their timing, but also the evacuation route, which he said was impacted by the missiles.

Grey Bull Rescue Founder Bryan Stern said that’s when Jordanian officials stepped in to help.

“They hosted us, they took care of us,” Stern said. “Remember, most of the people we evacuated, they’re all Americans, but a lot of them were Jewish, not a lot of love there and yet our ally in Jordan took care of us.”

Stern was welcomed home at Tampa International Airport Friday by evacuees, volunteers and Jay Collins, a state senator who helped connect government resources to the nonprofit.

“I think it’s important when you want to bridge that gap, to be on the ground,” Collins said. “You have to have someone forward and frankly you have to have someone who understands the language.”

“I’m a retired Green Beret, this is not my first time in a combat zone,” he continued. “I’ve been shot at, I’ve been blown up, I’ve been shot, I get it.”

And in the midst of adversity, Collins said, it was important to him to do whatever he had to do to help.

“I look at it like this, I’m a dad and a husband first and foremost,” he explained. “I need to show them that one person can step up.”

“One person can make a difference and, if nobody else will, if not me, then who?” he continued. “We will do the right thing.”

After many sleepless nights, Stern arrived at TPA Friday saying he was already preparing for the future.

“Tired and oddly we’re already prepping for our next mission,” he said. “There’s some Americans stuck in Haiti, so we’re already working on that and we’re monitoring the ceasefire very aggressively.”

“I’m not convinced it’s going to hold,” he continued. “I sadly think we’ll be coming back to the region before long.”