It was March 14, 2022. A Monday.
Benjamin Hall, a veteran Fox News correspondent who’d already survived the meat grinders of Syria, Libya, and Afghanistan, was in a car outside Kyiv. He wasn't alone. He was with Pierre Zakrzewski, a legendary cameraman, and Sasha Kuvshynova, a young, vibrant Ukrainian fixer. They were just trying to do the job.
Then the first bomb hit.
You've probably seen the headlines. You might have seen Ben back on TV, looking sharp in a suit, reporting from the State Department. But the gap between that burning car in Horenka and the person we see on screen now is filled with enough trauma, "miracles," and titanium to break most people.
The Attack That Nobody Was Supposed To Survive
The team was traveling in a small car when the first projectile struck. It wasn't a warning shot. It was a direct hit. Ben actually remembers reaching for the car door, trying to get his leg out, when the third bomb hit the vehicle directly.
He was thrown 20 feet. He was on fire.
Honestly, the details of his injuries are hard to stomach. His right leg was basically gone below the knee. His left foot was "shattered beyond recognition," as one former colleague put it. His left eye was cut in half by shrapnel. His left thumb was blown off. His skull was dented.
Basically, he was a ghost who hadn't realized he was dead yet.
But then, Ben says he heard a voice. It wasn't a ghost or a radio signal. He swears it was his daughter, Honor, back in London. She told him, "Daddy, you've got to get out of the car." That's what gave him the strength to crawl. If he hadn't moved, the third blast—the one that engulfed the car in a fireball—would have ended him right there.
Tragically, Pierre and Sasha didn't make it. Ben was the only survivor.
The "Save Our Allies" Operation
Getting Ben out of Ukraine wasn't as simple as calling an ambulance. He was in a war zone, and his body was literally falling apart. The rescue was a massive, cross-border scramble involving the Pentagon, Fox News executives, and a group called Save Our Allies.
They moved him from a Ukrainian hospital to a train. That train ride from Kyiv to the Polish border took forever. Imagine being riddled with shrapnel, missing limbs, and feeling every bump on a rickety track while wondering if a missile is going to hit the locomotive.
When he finally reached Poland, the 82nd Airborne was waiting. A Blackhawk helicopter whisked him away to Landstuhl in Germany. Eventually, he ended up at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
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40 Surgeries and a New Reality
Recovery wasn't a straight line. It was a jagged, painful mess. Hall has undergone roughly 40 surgeries. Think about that. That's 40 times being put under, 40 times waking up in pain, 40 times the doctors had to scrape, stitch, or bolt him back together.
At one point, he had a "baseball-sized hole" in his leg. He lost his right leg. He lost most of his left foot. He lost the sight in one eye.
But if you watch him now, you don't see a victim. You see a guy who's "resolute"—which happens to be the title of his second book. He wears prosthetics now. He’s back in the London bureau. He’s even been back to Ukraine to interview President Zelenskyy, where he was awarded the Order of Merit.
Why What Happened to Benjamin Hall Still Matters
We live in a world where "fake news" is a common insult. People throw it around like it’s nothing. But what happened to Benjamin Hall is a visceral reminder of what real journalism costs.
He didn't have to go to Ukraine. He had a wife, Alicia, and three (now four) daughters at home. He had already "done" the war reporter thing. But he went because he believed the story mattered.
The reality is, the world is more dangerous for journalists now than it has been in decades. Whether it's the front lines in Ukraine or the chaos in Gaza, the people bringing us the footage are often the first targets.
The Lessons from Ben's Recovery
If you're looking for the "so what" in all of this, it’s not just about a guy surviving a bomb. It’s about what he did next.
- Perspective is a choice: Ben often says he doesn't want to focus on the tragedy, but on the "goodwill" of the people who saved him.
- Family is the ultimate anchor: He credits the thought of his daughters for his survival.
- Resilience isn't about not falling: It’s about how many times you’re willing to go back into surgery to try and walk again.
Moving Forward
If you want to understand the full scope of this story, you should check out his memoirs, Saved and Resolute. They aren't just "war stories"; they are deep dives into what it means to be human when everything has been taken away.
Actionable Insights for Supporting Truth:
- Support Organizations: Groups like the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) or Save Our Allies do the heavy lifting when reporters are in trouble.
- Value On-the-Ground Reporting: Recognize that the footage you see on the evening news often comes at the cost of lives like Pierre Zakrzewski’s and Sasha Kuvshynova’s.
- Practice Resilience: Hall’s "never give up" mantra isn't a cliché when it's backed by 40 surgeries. Use his story as a benchmark for your own obstacles.
Ben Hall is currently a senior correspondent for Fox News, hosting podcasts like Searching for Heroes. He’s living proof that while you can break a man's body, the spirit is a lot harder to crack.