Marc Gonsalves is an American who was held hostage by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) from February 13th, 2003 to July 2nd, 2008. A former imagery analyst in the U.S. Air Force, Marc was working as a civilian military contractor on a drug surveillance mission in Colombia when his single-engine plane crashed in the jungle. Upon being swiftly captured by the FARC, Marc would go on to live as an active hostage alongside fellow contractors Tom Howes and Keith Stansell for the next five years.

In July 0f 2008, Marc, Tom, and Keith would be rescued in Operation Jaque by the Colombian Security Forces. For their ordeal, all three men were awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom on March 12th, 2009. Since then, Marc has co-written the book 'Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle' with Tom and Keith, detailing their experiences as hostages.

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Chapters:

00:00 - Intro
05:16 - A Half-Decade in Captivity - How Five Years as a FARC Hostage Changes You
16:10 - I'd Rather Not Be Captured - Turning Back Time (Whenever Possible)
20:18 - Meet Your Neighborhood Army Recruiter - Enlisting in the Air Force
28:28 - The Greatest Target Package Ever Made - Opening Both Barrels from 30,000 Feet
34:46 - Columbia's Militarized Drug Operations - Working In-Country Against the FARC
44:56 - Out of the Sky and Into Captivity - A Single-Engine Failure at 12,000 Feet
55:05 - Then They Shot My Friends - Losing Tommy Janis & Sgt. Luis Cruz
01:05:27 - Losing Our Chance To Get Rescued - Marching 24 Days in the Jungle with the FARC
01:28:56 - Our First Holding Area - Sleeping in Boxes at Monkey Village
01:49:00 - Ransom Negotiations - Making a Proof-of-Life Video with Bad Actors
01:49:00 - A Hostage Concentration Camp - Living in The Compound with Keith & Tom
02:20:39 - Creature Comforts - Trading for Cigarettes in the World of the Bozos
02:39:45 - Rescue Time - Tricking the FARC in Operation Jaque
03:00:18 - Messages From My Family - Hearing My Kids on a Cheap Jungle Radio
03:08:36 - Coming Back Home - Reintegrating From Operation Jaque to The United States
03:19:58 - A Bittersweet Reunion - Seeing My Family Again For the First Time
03:28:12 - A New Dog and an Old House - Coming Out of the Jungle For the Last Time
03:38:05 - Unintended Positive Consequences - Reflections on Outreach & Innovation
03:43:00 - What's Next? - Writing 'Out of Captivity' with Keith and Tom
03:43:00 - A Carved Chess Set In The Woods - Chain Games in Hostage Negotiation
03:57:52 - What I'm Doing Now - Volunteering in Prison & Starting The Reformed Mindset Podcast

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Support Marc Gonsalves-

Get Your Copy of Marc's Book 'Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle' at https://www.amazon.com/Out-Captivity-Surviving-Colombian-Jungle/dp/0061769533

The Reformed Mindset Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ReformedMindset

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/marc.gonsalves

Twitter / X - https://x.com/marc_gonsalves

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