Jul 3, 2008 4:42 pm US/Eastern
Chatham Native Among Rescued U.S. Hostages
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
One of the three American hostages rescued from leftist guerillas in Colombia Wednesday is from Cape Cod.
Thomas Howes of Chatham was one of three U.S. military contractors who were held for five years by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Their drug-surveillance plane went down in the rebel-held Colombian jungle in February 2003. Their fate seemed particularly grim after "proof-of-life" images released last November showed them appearing haggard, even haunted, against a deep jungle background.
U.S. intelligence helped locate the hostages. Then Colombian soldiers posed as rebels and tricked the captors into believing they were transporting the hostages to their leader. Instead it was a freedom flight.
After their rescue, Howes' niece, Amanda Howes, said it "redefines the word miracle."
"I was just in hysterics, so excited, overcome with relief and joy," she said.
Howes said her uncle can look forward to a warm homecoming with his wife, and two sons -- one older, one younger.
"The last time he saw his son was five years ago, he was five years old, what is a five-year-old thinking when his father doesn't return home at night. They have five years to catch up on," she said.
Thomas Howes arrived safely in Texas late Wednesday night. He was taken to a hospital, where he was expected to reunite with his family and undergo tests.
"They are all in very good physical condition, they are all very strong. The results of the tests are pending at this time, but everything really looks well," military psychiatrist Col. Jackie Hayes said Thursday.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
