Seuk’s Army volunteer pilot CJ Owens secures crates holding shelter pets to be flown to foster and rescue groups farther north, at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va., Nov. 23, 2025, marking the one year anniversary of the fatal crash of pilot Seuk Kim who was completing a rescue flight. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
BRANDY STATION, Va. (AP) — Dozens of shelter pets were part of a complex weekly airlift conducted by a far-flung, loose-knit group of volunteer pilots and animal lovers known as Seuk’s Army. For some years, they have brought pets from overwhelmed Southern animal shelters to foster and rescue groups farther north.
But this day was special: The volunteers relayed 117 animals, about twice as many as usual, to mark the anniversary of a tragedy that has transformed the group: member Seuk Kim’s fatal crash on a rescue flight on Nov. 24, 2024.
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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
A puppy, brought from an overwhelmed Southern animal shelter to be flown to a foster and rescue group farther north, looks out at a group of Seuk’s Army volunteers at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va., Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)Seuk’s Army volunteers, including one wearing a T-shirt bearing an image of pilot Seuk Kim, gather on the tarmac at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va., to help receive pets from overwhelmed Southern animal shelters on Nov. 23, 2025, marking the one-year anniversary of Kim’s death in a fatal crash while completing a pet rescue flight. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)Sydney Galley, co-founder and CEO of Seuk’s Army, helps unload pets who were brought from an overwhelmed Southern animal shelter to be flown to foster and rescue groups farther north, during a stop over before reaching their final destination, at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va., Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)Seuk’s Army volunteers Shelby Campbell, left, and Parker Colbert, carry puppies over to a holding area, after the puppies arrived from overwhelmed Southern animal shelters, at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va., Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)A volunteer offers snacks to a litter of puppies who were brought from an overwhelmed Southern animal shelter to be flown to foster and rescue groups farther north, between connecting flights at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va., Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)Seuk’s Army volunteer Sara Aveni holds Melvin who was brought from an overwhelmed Southern animal shelter to be driven to his adoptive home, as they wait for the final connecting flight for other shelter pets who will be flown to foster and rescue groups farther north, at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va., Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)Carriers used to transport shelter pets from an overwhelmed Southern animal shelter to foster and rescue groups farther north, sit on the tarmac between connecting flights at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va., Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)Seuk’s Army volunteer Katelynn Aldarondo cuddles with a dog brought from an overwhelmed Southern animal shelter to be flown to a foster and rescue group farther north, as they lie on the pavement between connecting flights at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va., Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)Seuk’s Army volunteers hold newborn puppies brought from an overwhelmed Southern animal shelter to be flown to foster and rescue groups farther north, between connecting flights at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va., Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)Sydney Galley, co-founder and CEO of Seuk’s Army, goes over her list of pets brought from an overwhelmed Southern animal shelter to be flown to a foster and rescue groups farther north, at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va., Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)Seuk’s Army volunteers Cindy and Eric Treworgy wait on the tarmac with a dog brought from an overwhelmed Southern animal shelter to be flown to a foster and rescue group farther north, at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va., Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)Newborn puppies brought from an overwhelmed Southern animal shelter to be flown to a foster and rescue groups farther north, rest in a holding area at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va., Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)Puppies brought from an overwhelmed Southern animal shelter to be flown to foster and rescue groups farther north, sit on the tarmac as volunteers prepare to load them onto their connecting flight to their final destination at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va., Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)Seuk’s Army volunteer pilot CJ Owens loads a shelter pet onto his plane to be flown to a foster and rescue group farther north, at Culpeper Regional Airport in Brandy Station, Va., Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
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