SAN ANTONIO, July 2 (Reuters) - Three American defense
contractors landed late Wednesday in Texas, hours after they were
freed from years of captivity in the jungles of Colombia.
A plane carrying Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell and Thomas
Howes touched down in San Antonio. The three were to be taken to a
military hospital at Fort Sam Houston, an Army post.
French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, the three
Americans and 11 other hostages were freed on Wednesday in a bold
rescue from leftist rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia, known as the FARC.
The Americans all worked for U.S. defense contractor Northrop
Grumman and were captured in 2003 after their light aircraft
crashed in the jungles while on a counternarcotics operation.












