Benjamin Hall.Photo: Benjamin Hall/Twitter
Fox News correspondentBenjamin Hallis back in the U.S. as he continues to recover fromserious injuriesafter coming under fire while reporting onRussia’s war in Ukraine, a network executive told staff on Friday.
“We’ve had an outpouring of care and concern about Benjamin Hall, so wanted to share a brief update with everyone,” Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said in a memo that was shared with PEOPLE.
“Yesterday Ben was transferred from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany to Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), located at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas,” Scott said.
In a previous update on March 16, Scott said Hall was alert and in good spirits.
“BAMC is a premier military medical facility and Ben is receiving excellent care while he continues to recover from his serious injuries after multiple surgeries,” she said Friday.
“We are in close contact with Ben and his family, and he remains in good spirits despite everything he has endured. His strength and resiliency in the face of this crisis has been nothing short of extraordinary,” she continued. “Please continue to keep him in your prayers.”
Earlier this week, Fox News anchor Dana Perino spoke withSave Our Alliesfounder Sarah Verardo, whose organization helped rescue Hall from Urkaine after his group was attacked.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the Defense Department as well as Polish and Ukrainian armed forces were also instrumental in bringing Hall out of the war zone, according to Fox News.
“They moved heaven and earth to move Ben not only quickly out of an active, hostile combat zone, but safely due to the grave condition he was in and his injuries,” Verardo said.
The network’s cameramanPierre Zakrzewskiwas killed in the same incident near Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, when Hall was injured.
Pierre Zakrzewski (left) in Ukraine.Fox News
“Pierre was a war zone photographer who covered nearly every international story for Fox News from Iran to Afghanistan to Syria during his tenure with us. His passion and talent as a journalist were unmatched, Scott said of the cameraman.
“Based in London, Pierre had been working in Ukraine since February,” she continued. “His talents were vast and there wasn’t a role that he didn’t jump in to help with in the field — from photographer to engineer to editor to producer — and he did it all under immense pressure with tremendous skill.”
Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova, 24, was also killed while reporting in the field with Hall and Zakrzewski.
Kuvshynova was serving as a consultant for Fox News, “helping our crews navigate Kyiv and the surrounding area while gathering information and speaking to sources,” according to Scott.
Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova.Fox News
“She was incredibly talented and spent weeks working directly with our entire team there, operating around the clock to make sure the world knew what was happening in her country,” Scott said.
Russia’sattack on Ukrainecontinues a month after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.
With NATO forces amassed in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also offered aid or military support to the resistance. Ukraine PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyyhas called for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.
Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy vowed not to bend.
“Nobody is going to break us, we’re strong, we’re Ukrainians,“he told the European Unionin a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, “Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness.”
source: people.com
