How I Survived 5 Years as a Jungle Hostage

About this video

The guest recounts his experience as an analyst finding coca operations in Colombia, describing how his reconnaissance plane crashed after engine failure. He details how guerrillas from FARC immediately executed two of his crew members and took him hostage in the jungle. After more than 5 years in captivity, he describes his rescue by Colombian soldiers and the chaotic moment of realizing he was finally free.

Key takeaways

• The guest was working as an analyst locating coca labs and chemical facilities when his single-engine Cessna crashed in Colombia
• FARC guerrillas shot two crew members execution-style immediately after the crash and threatened the survivors with death if they attempted escape or made noise
• The guest was held hostage for over 5 years in the Colombian jungle, longer than any other American hostage, before being freed by Colombian soldiers

Episode details: published May 27, 2025 · 3.1K views · 3:13 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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