SRS #230 | Keith Stansell - Surviving 1967 Days in Captivity

Keith Stansell is a former U.S. Marine and Northrop Grumman employee who was captured by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on February 13, 2003, after his surveillance plane crashed in the Colombian jungle during an anti-narcotics mission. Held hostage for 1,967 days alongside contractors Marc Gonsalves and Thomas Howes, Stansell endured harsh conditions in the jungle until their dramatic rescue by the Colombian military on July 2, 2008, during Operation Jaque.
A recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom in 2009, he co-authored the bestselling memoir Out of Captivity: Surviving 1967 Days in the Colombian Jungle (2009) with Gonsalves and Howes, detailing their ordeal and resilience.
Father to twin sons born during his captivity, he advocates for awareness of hostage situations and supports military and veteran communities, emphasizing survival, family, and the human spirit in overcoming adversity.