...from the Occupied West Bank of the Ohio River.
Canine Farewell :-(
Whiskey, an explosive protection military working dog, relaxes next to his handler, U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Chris A. Beavers, a kennel master assigned to the 48th Security Forces, at Royal Air Force Feltwell, England, June 24, 2008. Whiskey is being retired for medical reasons after serving more than six honorable years.
U.S. Air Force Airman Perry Aston
Welcome home, soldiers!
Keith Stansell, left, Marc Gonsalves, center, and Thomas Howes prepare to walk off a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III as they arrive on Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, July 2, 2008. The three were held as hostages in Colombia for more than five years, after their plane crashed in the jungle in February 2003.
U.S. Air Force photo Lance Cheung
3 contractors rescued in Colombia, return to U.S.
7/3/2008 - SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- Three military contractors held captive by the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia were rescued by the Colombian military and returned to the U.S. July 2.Posted on 04 July 2008 @ 15:46Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell, all employees of the Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corp., spent five years in captivity, making them the longest-held American hostages in the world at the time.
They were captured in February of 2003 after their drug-surveillance plane went down in the jungles of southern Colombia.
The men were flown directly to the U.S. aboard a C-17 Globemaster III, which landed at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, shortly before midnight. From there, they were taken by helicopter to Brooke Army Medical Center to undergo tests and treatment.
The C-17 is from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., and its crews is from various bases including Pope AFB, N.C., and Charleston AFB, S.C.
Twelve others were rescued along with the Americans, including 11 Colombian police and soldiers and Ingrid Betancourt, a former Colombian presidential candidate.
