Pope NCO porvides medical support on historic mission Published July 10, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Jon LaDue 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- An aeromedical evacuation technician from the 43rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron provided medical support on a mission to bring home three military contractors held captive by the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia who were rescued by the Colombian military July 2. Staff Sgt. Daryl Bradley, 43rd AES, was given short notice on the rescue mission but was more than happy to help. "It was probably one of the most memorable missions in my life and I was just grateful to be a part of it," Sergeant Bradley said. Marc 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. "They were in great spirits and very excited to be returning home to their families and friends," Sergeant Bradley said. The C-17 was from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., and its crews also included Airmen from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. Twelve others were rescued along with the Americans, including 11 Colombian police and soldiers and Ingrid Betancourt, a former Colombian presidential candidate.