Today marks five year anniversary of missing Stansell
by Charlotte Phillips

Lauren, Keith, and Kyle Stansell are shown in the last photo made before Stansell was taken hostage.

February 13 marks the fiveyear anniversary of the disappearance of three Americans, Keith Stansell, Thomas Howes and Marc Gonsolves, who were captured by the Farc, "the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia," when their single engine Cessna forced landed on the side of a mountain deep within Farc territory. The men, who were suffering minor injuries, pulled the others who got the direct impact because they were in the nose of the aircraft to safety.

Within a matter of minutes, they were surrounded by the Farc.

The pilot Tommy Janis and the Colombian guide, Luis Alcidez Cruz, were led away in one direction while, Keith, Marc, and Tom were force marched in another direction. It was later learned that Janis and Cruz had been killed by the Farc. On February. 24, 2003, the Farc claimed responsibility for bringing down the counter drug surveillance flight on which the four defense contractors were aboard.

The first proof-of-life videos taken by a Colombian journalist were studied by the FBI in late August 2003, before being released to be viewed by the families in September. The videos revealed the three men alive and recovering from injuries they sustained during the crash landing of the aircraft. It was the first time the captives learned of the war in Iraq and of the death of three of their coworkers and friends who were night searching for them when their aircraft crashed into the side of a mountain.

Television talk shows, State Department briefings, meetings with politicians, meetings with Northrup Grumman, who held the defense contracts and employed the men, newspapers and magazine articles have, as yet, yielded no results. The family and friends of the hostages, referred to by the Farc as "prisoners of war," have tried to keep this issue in the public eye and keep it from being buried under bureaucratic paperwork. Initially the major networks played a major role in keeping the hostage situation in view; however, the war in Iraq and most recently the presidential campaigns have taken precedence.

Families never gave up and daily, weekly, monthly, they kept calling and writing letters. Northrup Grumman was instrumental in keeping the hostages in focus by creating its own investigative team to work toward mediation for a release of the hostages. The U.S. government offered a reward of fivemillion dollars for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the kidnapping of the three Americans and the killing of Janis.

In January 2004, Ricardo Palmera better known as Farc commander Simon Trinidad was arrested and extradited to the U.S. to face charges of kidnapping, drug trafficking, and murder. In 2006, he stood trial for conspiracy to commit hostage-taking and a mistrial was declared in the Washington trial. In 2007, in a second trial, Palmera was convicted. In May 2007, a former Colombian police officer,Frank Pinchao, who was kidnapped and held for over eight years, managed to escape after spending 17 days in the jungle running, walking and swimming his way to freedom. He brought news of Keith, Marc, Tom, and Ingrid Betancourt, who are among a group of 46 hostages classified as "high profile."His visit with family members revealed much needed information about the physical condition and state of mind of the hostages. He reported that Keith worked out by himself every day and was very strong physically. He had even taught Pinchao to swim and helped him and others drive the stakes that supported their beds. He also stated that the three spoke Spanish fluently and that Keith had taught many people to speak English. He said that Keith was the one who joked and tried to keep up everyone's spirits. He also stated that they spoke of family and home often. Pinchao related that Marc was suffering from hepatitis.

The latter part of 2007 brought renewed hope to the hostages' families when other proofof life tapes and a number of letters written to family members emerged. The tapes reportedly came days after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez demanded such evidence. The videos showed each American standing briefly on the screen looking haggard. They are the longest held U.S. hostages currently in captivity. It also showed Ingrid Betancourt and a number of other captives, members of Colombia's Security Force. These images were the first in nearly four years of any of the hostages.

Chavez's role as mediator was ended by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who alleged Chavez broke protocol in the chain of command. Chavez Johnson met with family members in 2007 and promised he would do everything in his power to negotiate a hostage exchange. The conflictbetween Uribe and Chavez thwarted hopes for a prisoner exchange.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy appealed for Uribe not to end the role of go-between Chavez assumed in August of 2007. Many family members consider Chavez the best chance they have of getting their loved ones out. The greatest contention in the 40-year-old war between the Colombian government and the Farc, is the demand by the group for a demilitarized zone and the release of more than 500 rebels held in Colombian jails. The latest release of two women, Clara Rojas, captured in February 2003, and former Colombian Congress woman, Consuelo Gonzalg, abducted in September 2001 was initiated by Chavez.

This was the first release of any rebel prisoner since 2001. The International Red Cross oversaw the hand-over. There are at least 750 people still held by the Farc; most are held for ransom to support the insurgent group's operations, and around 60 have been offered as exchangeable. These include the three Americans, Keith, Marc and Tom. Early December 2007, the Colombia pardoned 23 low level Farc members in what was called a good will gesture. The Colombian government reportedly will only negotiate with the Farc, if they agree to a cease fire, and all freed rebels will have to agree to put down arms or leave the country. Meanwhile, back at home, the families of the hostages wait, work, hope, and pray for the safety and release of their loved ones. Friends and fellow countrymen pray that these people will soon be reunited with their families.

retires