[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 1508]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today, I would briefly like to recount the 
details of a troubling series of events that resulted in the capture of 
four Americans, one of whom was executed, in the jungles of Colombia. I 
recently received word of this story from a special operations officer 
with intimate knowledge of these and subsequent events.
  Three years ago today, a contract surveillance plane operated by four 
American Defense Department contractors and one Colombian military 
sergeant, was flying in support of our joint counternarcotics efforts 
in Colombia. Engine troubles forced the crew to crash land the aircraft 
in the Colombian jungle south of the capital Bogata.
  While there was a small window of opportunity to mount a search and 
rescue effort, the launch of the rescue team was never authorized. All 
five crew members were captured by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of 
Colombia.
  FARC is a known terrorist organization that has terrorized Colombian 
civilians and political figures for decades. It has kidnapped and 
killed numerous American citizens and poses a serious threat to U.S. 
interests in Colombia. FARC is also very actively involved in drug 
trafficking and extortion.
  FARC immediately executed the lone Colombian serviceman and one of 
the Americans and moved the other hostages farther south, deeper into 
the Colombian jungle. In the 3 years since their abduction, there has 
been only one serious attempt to rescue the three remaining American 
contractors. This took place in late August and early September of last 
year.
  Their names are Keith Stansell, Thomas Howes, and Marc Gonsalves. 
These three Americans and their families here at home deserve more.
  Our military, in coordination with its Colombian counterparts, needs 
to take more assertive action to rescue the captive Americans. In order 
to carry out this mission, American personnel on the ground need access 
to better, more reliable, and more actionable intelligence.
  They have a better chance of uncovering the location and well-being 
of the hostages by increasing contacts with Colombian troops patrolling 
the jungles and interrogating captured FARC members.
  It is also important to seek tips from the local population that 
might have information as to the whereabouts of these soldiers. But 
there must be incentives for these civilians, who must also endure FARC 
violence and intimidation, to come forward. For example, radio 
broadcasts in the surrounding areas could inform local civilians of the 
situation and offer rewards that the locals will truly value. Access to 
land and livestock could prove to be a great incentive for those with 
any information on the hostages to come forward.
  We also need to increase our coordination with Colombian intelligence 
personnel. They have the most intimate knowledge of their country and 
are likely to have more access to contacts with information. Greater 
coordination and stronger links with these Colombian intelligence units 
will give our military a better opportunity to act when relevant 
information becomes available.
  For 3 years, three brave American civilian contractors have been held 
hostage by a ruthless terrorist organization deep in the Colombian 
jungle. Though rescue attempts can be dangerous and entail numerous 
risks to both the hostages and the rescuers, the failure to launch more 
than one serious rescue attempt is a disservice to those men and to 
their families here at home. We can only imagine the anguish, 
uncertainty, and doubt they have endured for those 3 long years.
  I urge the administration to redouble its efforts to rescue these 
three Americans. A more assertive response is required. We owe it to 
these men and to their families to make a more serious effort to rescue 
them.

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