[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14425]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
                   AMERICANS HELD HOSTAGE IN COLOMBIA

  (Mr. POE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, for the last 5 years, civilians Keith Stansell, 
Thomas Howes, and Marc Gonsalves have been held hostage and bound by 
chains in the jungles of Colombia. Their captors were the Communist 
thugs: FARC.
  The three American captors lived in constant fear and squalor along 
with hundreds of other hostages, mostly Colombians. These three men 
were held longer than any other American citizens currently being held 
captive in the world.
  They also had 5 years of their lives stolen from them. During the 
last 5 years, they were unaware of most world events, including the 
birth of Stansell's twins, the invasion of Iraq, Hurricanes Katrina and 
Rita, the Red Sox breaking the curse and winning the World Series, 
gasoline prices tripling, and the University of Texas defeating 
Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship.
  FARC is an insurgent terrorist group that funds its activities by 
working with the drug cartels and kidnapping people and holding them 
for ransom.
  But thanks to the people and the Government of Colombia, the three 
Americans and 20 others were rescued from the outlaws in a stealth, 
covert operation. We are glad the Americans are home, and our gratitude 
goes to the people of Colombia.
  And that's just the way it is.

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