PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. — German Leal, a 46-year-old father of three who enjoys fishing and golfing in South Florida, returned to his native Venezuela on Saturday. He had not visited in about 15 years.

The U.S. Air Force flew Leal, a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue captain since 2017, aboard the McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III from the Homestead Air Reserve Base to northern Venezuela.

Leal’s return to the Venezuelan state of La Guaira, where he was born when the oil-rich country was a stable democracy, is as a member of the Florida Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1.

U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio are counting on him, and the rest of MDFR Chief Ray Jadallah’s team to save lives after two 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck on Wednesday.

Leal is trained to face the devastation in his native coastal town of Caraballeda. He recently marked the anniversary of his response to the Champlain Towers South collapse that killed 98 people in 2021 in Surfside.

Leal graduated from the Miami Dade College Fire Academy in 2003 and returned to his alma mater as an instructor about 13 years later.

MDFR had hired him in 2004, and he had risen to the rank of lieutenant in 2010. As captain, his long list of certifications includes technical rescue, Hazmat, marine firefighting, and rescue diving.

Leal is in good company. The State Department also deployed Miami Fire Rescue Chief Robert Hevia’s Florida Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1 and two more teams from California and Virginia.

Earlier today, the men and women of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s Florida Task Force 1 (#FLTF1) boarded a plane and began their mission to Venezuela.

Departing from Homestead Air Reserve Base with the support of @Southcom, they carry with them far more than specialized training and… pic.twitter.com/CmoWilsYyG
— Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (@MiamiDadeFire) June 27, 2026

Deploying four-legged heroes to help save lives in Venezuela:

Watch as @MiamiDadeFire specialized urban search-and-rescue dogs board a @usairforce C-17 Globemaster en route to Venezuela. These elite canines and their handlers are supporting @StateDept-led U.S. government… pic.twitter.com/5sCRkxpQ89
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) June 27, 2026

Delivering life-saving capabilities to Venezuela.

Today, @usairforce C-17 Globemaster aircraft are transporting two @MiamiDadeFire search and rescue teams to Venezuela. These skilled responders will join @StateDept-led U.S. government earthquake relief efforts. #SOUTHCOM… pic.twitter.com/4eWcaCxYCZ
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) June 27, 2026

Related list: Drop-off locations in South Florida

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