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Season 3 of the Hears How podcast begins with the remarkable journey of Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall whose life was forever changed by an attack in Ukraine. On March 14, 2022, the British journalist and two of his colleagues — cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and journalist Oleksandra "Sasha" Kuvshynova — came under attack while covering the war between Russia and Ukraine outside of Kyiv.
Ben heard a familiar whistling sound followed by a massive explosion. The soldier driving the news crew tried to reverse but then came a second explosion.
“Everything went black,” remembers Ben, the only survivor of the attack. “And right in front of me, came my daughter, Honor — as real as anything, into the blackness she came. And she said to me, ‘Daddy, you've gotta get out of the car.’ And I just came right back, flooding into the world without even thinking. And I took one step out (of the car) and then the third one hit … I’m unconscious for a bit, and I wake up about 10 feet away from the car, and I'm on fire.”
Ben noticed his right leg was “hanging on by some skin” as he tried to put out the flames engulfing him. His left foot had a hole in it the size of a baseball. His skull had been fractured and his left eye sliced in half. Much of his left hand had been destroyed.
“I thought of getting home to my daughters when I was injured,” Ben says of Honor, Iris, and Hero. “And I said a prayer. The two places I went, when everything else was taken away — even though I wasn't really a strictly practicing Catholic — those are the two places I went: my family, and I said a prayer, ‘Please, Lord. Please help me get home right now.’”
This conversation walks us through Ben’s tough road to recovery, during which he held tight to a vision of reuniting with his family. His recount highlights the crucial role of loved ones and community in the healing process.
In this episode:
4:22 Ben recounts the day of the attack, March 14, 2022
6:40 Ben explains how a vision of his daughter Honor saved him
8:26 Ben remembers his late colleagues, Pierre Zakrzewski and Oleksandra "Sasha" Kuvshynova
9:38 Ben is rescued from the site of the attack
10:46 A plan is formed to get Ben out of Ukraine
13:35 Ben begins rehabilitation at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio
15:05 After months, Ben is finally headed home to be reunited with his wife, Alicia, and their three daughters: “I feel a physical sense of love, which I never did before”
21:25 Ben discusses how he was able to overcome his challenges: “No matter how difficult things are, there is goodness on the other side.”
24:27 Ben shares his advice for those going through a challenging time
More:
Ben details his attack and recovery in his book, “Saved: A War Reporter's Mission to Make It Home,” available for purchase.
Ben’s recent work can be viewed on Fox News’ website. New episodes of his inspirational podcast, “Searching for Heroes with Benjamin Hall” are released on Wednesday.
