Free Republic

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2009 – Three U.S. defense contractors held captive for more than five years by Colombian narcoterrorists will receive the civilian equivalent of the Purple Heart award this week at the U.S. Southern Command headquarters in Miami. Southcom Commander Navy Adm. James Stavridis will present the Defense of Freedom Medal to Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves and Thomas Howes during the March 12 ceremonies. All three were injured during 1,967 days of captivity in the jungles of Colombia at the hands of the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces, known as the FARC. The Defense Department established the Defense of...

<p>WASHINGTON — President Bush handed out a dozen of the nation's highest civilian awards Tuesday, saying that each of the recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom earned the award for the challenges they confronted and surmounted.</p> <p>"The men and women we honor span the spectrum of achievement. Some are fighters. Others are healers. All have left an enduring legacy of hope and courage and achievement," Bush told an audience in the White House East Room.</p>