'They Kept Us In Boxes' - Held Hostage in Colombian Jungle

About this video

A former hostage describes being held captive in the Colombian jungle by what appears to be guerrilla forces. He recounts being moved to different holding locations, including makeshift boxes where he and two fellow American captives (Tom and Keith) were locked at night. The guest describes a terrifying bombing incident overhead and the harsh conditions of confinement, noting that his captors gave them Spanish code names and forbade them from speaking to prevent their identities as Americans from being discovered.

Key takeaways

• The guest and two other Americans were held in wooden boxes made from freshly-milled lumber, locked in at night and kept in a fenced area during the day
• The guest recalls hearing what he believed was a search pattern overhead and witnessing a bombing incident that lasted over an hour, during which many guards fled the area
• The captors assigned Spanish code names to the hostages and prohibited them from speaking to each other to hide the fact that they were Americans

Episode details: published June 2, 2025 · 4.1K views · 7:21 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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