How I Survived; Held Hostage in Colombia. Part 3 of 4. скачать в хорошем качестве

How I Survived; Held Hostage in Colombia. Part 3 of 4.

Out of Captivity Book: https://a.co/d/f7RXeUV Marc Gonsalves, a former U.S. Air Force imagery analyst turned Northrop Grumman contractor, endured a harrowing five-and-a-half-year ordeal as a hostage of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Marxist guerrilla group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. His captivity began on February 13, 2003, when a single-engine Cessna Caravan, part of a U.S.-backed anti-drug surveillance mission, crashed in the dense, mountainous jungles of southern Colombia. This marked the start of a grueling 1,967-day nightmare that tested his resilience and spirit. #The Plane Crash: A Descent into Chaos Gonsalves was aboard the Cessna with fellow contractors Keith Stansell, Thomas Howes, pilot Tom Janis, and Colombian intelligence officer Sgt. Luis Alcides Cruz. The plane, operated under the Southcom Reconnaissance System (SRS), was tasked with locating drug trade targets and monitoring FARC narco related activities. Mid-flight, the aircraft suffered engine failure, forcing an emergency landing in terrorist-controlled territory. The crash was violent—Gonsalves later described it as feeling like a “sardine can ripping open,” with the fuselage tearing apart on impact. Miraculously, all five passengers survived the initial wreck, though injured and disoriented. Their relief was short-lived. Within moments, FARC guerrillas emerged from the jungle, rifles trained on the survivors. The rebels executed Janis and Cruz on the spot, shooting them at close range. Gonsalves, Stansell, and Howes were spared but swiftly taken hostage, beginning their descent into captivity. #Abduction and the Death March The three Americans were forced into a brutal “death march” through the Colombian jungle, a trek that lasted over three weeks and covered hundreds of miles. Injured and under constant threat, they endured relentless physical and psychological torment. Gonsalves recalled being marched up to 22 hours a day, often without food or rest, his body battered from the crash and his spirit strained by the loss of his companions. The FARC, numbering around 18,000 fighters at the time, viewed the Americans as high-value captives—potential bargaining chips in their decades-long conflict with the Colombian government. #Life in Captivity: Cruelty and Survival For 1,967 days, Gonsalves lived in a series of jungle camps, ranging from semi-permanent bases with barbed wire and guard towers to makeshift hideouts as FARC weakened under Colombian military pressure. Conditions were dehumanizing: he was locked in cages, chained by the neck with heavy industrial locks, and subjected to starvation, torture, and mock executions. Gonsalves described the psychological toll, recounting a teenage guard’s chilling tale of hostages being forced into shallow jungle graves, shot, and buried—fueling his constant fear of a similar fate. The captors, often young and indoctrinated, oscillated between naivety and brutality. Gonsalves noted their fascination with American culture—some had only seen foreigners in movies like *The Matrix*—yet they showed no hesitation in inflicting pain. Food was scarce, with captives surviving on meager rations like monkey meat or jungle rodents. Gonsalves clung to memories of his family, particularly his daughter, whose imagined scent of shampoo became both a lifeline and a source of anguish. #The Rescue: Operation Jaque On July 2, 2008, freedom arrived in an audacious Colombian military operation dubbed “Operation Jaque.” Posing as humanitarian aid workers, Colombian commandos tricked FARC into transferring Gonsalves, Stansell, Howes, French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, and 11 other hostages onto a helicopter. Once airborne, the disguised soldiers subdued the guards without firing a shot, flying the captives to safety. Gonsalves described the moment as surreal, a flood of disbelief and joy washing over him as he realized, “We’re free.” #Aftermath and Legacy Rescued after over five years, Gonsalves returned to the U.S., reuniting with his family at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas. Alongside Stansell and Howes, he co-authored *Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle*, a raw account of their ordeal. In 2009, they received the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom. Gonsalves’ experience remains a testament to human endurance amid unimaginable hardship, spotlighting the FARC’s reign of terror and the resilience of those who survived it. ----- #HostageSurvival #FARCCaptivity #OperationJaque #ColombianJungle #TrueCrime #SurvivalStory #Resilience #PlaneCrash #MarcGonsalves #OutOfCaptivity #CriminalJustice #JungleSurvival #Terrorism #HumanEndurance #MilitaryRescue #TrueStory #InspiringJourney #SouthAmerica #HostageCrisis #SurvivalPodcast