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After Rescue From Guerrillas, Sarasota Man Reconnects With Family
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Published: July 3, 2008
A middle of the night conference call brought a flood of emotions for a Bay area family waiting nearly 5 1/2 years to hear the voice of a loved one held captive in the jungles of Colombia.
Keith Stansell and two other American military contractors gathering information on the Colombian drug trade were taken hostage in February 2003 after their small plane crashed in rebel territory.
Yesterday, a covert Colombian military operation rescued the Americans and 12 others, using helicopters to fly them all to freedom. Stansell, Thomas Howes and Marc Gonsalves touched down at a military base in Texas last night.
At 3:30 this morning in Lakewood Ranch, Stansell's family gathered around the phone and heard the former Marine's voice.
Kelly Coady, mother of Stansell's two oldest children, said it seemed as if he had never been gone when he calmly asked her, "What's up, woman?"
She said he thanked her for taking care of the kids. She said she assured him everyone was fine except for the constant heartache from his absence.
Coady said 16-year-old Kyle, now 6-foot-4, also quickly pointed out he now stands two inches taller than his father, drawing smiles amid a steady stream of tears. The two last saw each other when Kyle was 10.
Kyle, his older sister Lauren and Stansell's parents left for Texas this morning by private plane from Sarasota.
The flight brings them one step closer to a reunion that was no more than a dream a day ago.
Meantime, Ingrid Betancourt, the former Colombian presidential candidate who was released with the hostages, embraced her children for the first time in six years today, saying the thought of them helped her stay alive until a daring rescue plucked her and 14 other hostages from the jungle.
"Nirvana, paradise - that must be very similar to what I feel at this moment," Betancourt said, fighting back tears as her son reached over to kiss her. "It was because of them that I kept up my will to get out of that jungle."
The hostages were airlifted to freedom Wednesday in an audacious operation involving military spies who tricked the rebels into handing over their most prized hostages - including the three U.S. military contractors - without firing a shot.
The stunning caper involved months of intelligence gathering, dozens of helicopters on standby and a strong dose of deceit: The rebels shoved the captives, their hands bound, onto a white unmarked Mi-17 helicopter, thinking they were being transferred to another guerrilla camp.
Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said it "will go into history for its audacity and effectiveness." He also acknowledged the risks: "If this had failed, I would have had to resign," he told Caracol Radio on Thursday.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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