As a U.S. Special Forces veteran, Bryan Stern has seen his share of dangerous missions. But he knew trying to rescue María Corina Machado, one of the most recognizable faces in the Western Hemisphere, would present a new list of unique challenges.
Despite the hurdles, Stern and his band of gutsy military veterans pulled off a daring rescue, grabbing Machado from a boat in the dark of night in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. She was eventually flown safely to Oslo, Norway.
Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, had spent more than a year hiding out in Venezuela, trying to evade capture from President Nicolás Maduro’s regime. Machado ran against Maduro in a 2024 election and, according to international voting records, surpassed Maduro in votes by a significant margin. Maduro, however, refused to cede his position, going after the opposition party as his next target.
After winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Machado feared flying to Oslo to accept the award and risk being captured and detained by Maduro’s forces. That’s when Stern, founder of Grey Bull Rescue Foundation, decided to act. The former combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient brought his team together, planning Machado’s escape and rescue in one week. But while the organization has deployed to “more than 700 missions” since it began in 2021, this operation would be a bit more hectic.
“She’s the second most popular person in the Western Hemisphere after Maduro,” Stearn told NPR. “Because of that signature, that’s what made this operation very hard.”
One Daring Mission
In an ode to Peace Prize creator Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite, Stearn’s team dubbed the mission “Operation Golden Dynamite.”
They knew pursuing Machado by land wouldn’t work; she would likely be recognized quickly. The team chose the next best option – rescuing her by sea.
However, that plan also proved risky. With the U.S. military striking suspected narco-trafficking vessels the past few months, sinking about 27 boats and killing more than 90 people, Stearn knew they couldn’t use a similar-looking boat.
Stearn told NPR he talked with military officials about the rescue operation, so they knew the team would be in an area close to Venezuela. The former Special Ops soldier also picked a boat he knew wouldn’t be a target for the U.S. to hit.
“I didn’t want a big giant boat with big engines that could go fast and cut through waves,” he said. “That’s what the narcos use — and the U.S. military likes to blow them up.”
‘It’s Maria!’
The operation didn’t exactly go to plan. The boat carrying Machado from Venezuela to the Caribbean didn’t arrive at a predetermined location.
“We were supposed to meet in the middle, but when that couldn’t happen, we pivoted and went to them,” Stern said.
Nerves rattled, Stern’s team sailed on in almost total darkness. Ten-foot waves rocked the sides of the boat and, with lights shut off, the veterans used flashlights to cut through the thick, black night. Crews on both vessels feared the other boat could be hauling government agents or drug cartels.
“I could be Maduro’s guys, I could be cartel guys — anything really,” Stern said. “Everyone is skittish about approaching each other in the dead of night at sea. In 10-foot waves? This is scary stuff.”
Finally sailing to within earshot, a faint voice was heard cutting through the dark sea.
“It’s me — María!” Machado yelled.
Crew members pulled Machado aboard, and they sailed to an island, which Stern wouldn’t specify to NPR but is believed to be Curaçao, where a private plane was ready to transport Machado to Norway.
Machado, nicknamed the “Iron Lady” of Venezuela, impressed Stern with her steely resolve.
“She was tougher than the crusty veterans helping her escape,” he said. “We’re all bitching and moaning — it’s cold, it’s wet, we’re hungry, it’s dark. She didn’t complain once.”
Stern confessed to NPR that he was somewhat awed by being in Machado’s presence. He was well aware of her fight for democracy in her homeland for several years. Stern figured Machado had earned her moniker for not backing down from Maduro’s autocracy, but as he chatted with the Nobel laureate on that cold, wet ride to freedom, he realized there’s more to Machado than meets the eye.
“She’s gnarly,” he said, laughing. “Pretty awesome.”
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