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Unaware of who had plucked his broken body off the roadside, Ben remembers only fragmented images of what followed. Rumbling along in the back of a van, and then some sort of ambulance, he kept mumbling his name – that he was a journalist and an American, fearing he was in the hands of the Russians. Then he saw a hypodermic needle being jabbed into his arm, and he passed out.

He remembers a team of doctors hovering over him wearing headlamps, their pools of light sweeping across his body as they worked quickly without electricity. Next, he was waking up in a clean, bright hospital bed, convinced he was in Russian hands. Terrified and thinking the nurses must be spies, Ben felt trapped inside a Cold War nightmare – until an American man walked over to his bed and softly asked him his name, and whether or not he’d like to leave.

Though safe, Ben was in bad shape. Part of his right leg had been amputated immediately. But his left leg had also been severely damaged by the blast, as well as his right hand. He was aware that he’d been on fire at some point, but didn’t know the severity of his burns. He’d also had one eye cut in half by shrapnel, had a caved-in fracture of his skull pressing on his brain, and was suffering a number of other internal injuries from the impact.

Even in perfect health, getting Ben to – and across – the Polish border would have been difficult. In his fragile state, just leaving the hospital was risky.

Though Ben’s condition was critical, Rich and Seaspray were able to convince Ukrainian doctors to discharge him. His condition was far worse than the already-overwhelmed hospital could treat, and many of the most critical interventions needed to be done within 48 hours of injury. The hospital itself was also under constant threat from Russian bombing; it couldn’t guarantee that anyone would be safe within its walls.

Rich and Seaspray couldn’t reveal the other reason they needed to move Ben quickly. They’d learned through back channels that a diplomatic train carrying the Prime Minister of Poland was in Kyiv for a meeting with Ukrainian leaders. The train sported heightened security and wouldn’t have to pass through bombed-out roads. It offered the safest, smoothest way out of the country. The only problem? They didn’t have permission to travel on the train – yet. 

By the time the train started rumbling toward Poland, the pain medication Ben had been given that morning in the hospital was wearing off. He learned on that train that his colleagues, cameraman Pierre, and local interpreter, Sasha, had died in the blast. Getting to Poland was also just the first part of what would be a long journey toward the medical expertise Ben needed to survive his blast injuries. Compound traumas like his were rare outside of combat, and required expert care. Getting this care would mean traveling further than Poland.

Back at Fox News, the team had organized a military pickup for Ben. A helicopter would meet the train and transport Ben first to a local Polish military hospital. The staff there would then prepare him for the onward flight to a specialized medical center. For almost 48 hours, Ben’s only thought had been to survive. Now that he was safe and under military medical treatment, he realized he was on a new journey.

One of the best options for such long-term care was at the Brooke Army Medical Center, in Texas. But getting there was going to take additional grit – and a lengthy flight in a military C-17 cargo plane without pain medication, so he’d remain alert. Knowing he had no choice, Ben set his resolve and got through the pain one more time.

While the medical experts had predicted two years of treatment and rehabilitation, Benjamin Hall was determined to make this process faster. Much faster. All the efforts by his team, colleagues, and the diplomats, military specialists, and medical team that had ensured his survival motivated him to take on his recovery with zeal and purpose. He cheerfully faced sudden setbacks, painful interventions, and relentless physical challenges in honor of those who had come to his aid. 

When journalist Benjamin Hall’s news team was attacked in the early days of the war in Ukraine, just surviving the initial bombs was a miracle. The coordinated effort it took to save him, get him medical treatment, and safely help him out of the country became the mission of specialist operatives, diplomatic and military cooperation, and lots of luck. Aware of his incredible fortune, Ben embraced whatever challenges it took to bring him back home to his family.