Keith Stansell

On July 2, 2008, Keith Stansell was released by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) after being held captive, along with 15 others, for more than four years. The rescue operation was carried out by the Colombian government and came after a number of senior commanders of the FARC were killed and captured.

Fast Facts

1. Keith Stansell was taken captive in 2003
2. Ingrid Betancourt, former Colombian presidential candidate, was one of the hostages held by the FARC and released on July 2, 2008
3. Total hostages released on July 2, 2008: 15
4. The United States were involved in the planning stages of the rescue
5. Rescue was carried out by the Colombian government

FARC¹

1. Established in 1964
2. Described as a Marxist insurgency
3. Leader: Manuel Marulanda
4. Members: 9,000 to 12,000
5. Operations primarily in Colombia, but the FARC also has a presence in Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador

Homecoming

The former hostages arrived at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, on Thursday, July 3, 2008. Before being reunited with with their families, they underwent medical tests. Stansell's children spoke with him on the phone in the early morning hours of Thursday, July 3, 2008.² Stansell's two children and ex-wife live in Sarasota, Florida. His parents live in Brandenton, Florida.³

Contractors Rescued

Stansell was one of three U.S. Military contractors kidnapped by the FARC along with Marc Gonsalves and Thomas Howes. They were captured after their plane went down on an anti-narcotics mission for the U.S. Defense Department in 2003. ⁴

Return Home Speeches

On Monday, July 7, 2008, Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes, and Keith Stansell spoke at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. Gonsalves stated that FARC claims to want equality and to make Colombia a better place, but they are liars. He continued by calling them terrorists as opposed to revolutionaries. When Stansell stood up to speak he carried his two sons with him and kept his speech short. He thanked the Colombian and U.S. governments and joked to the Governor of Florida about not having a driver's license.⁵

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