'Save Our Allies' helps extract Fox News' Benjamin Hall from Ukraine
Co-founder Sarah Verardo discusses the operation to secure the correspondent from a war zone on 'America Reports.'
FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and President Jay Wallace on Wednesday visited Fox News journalist Benjamin Hall, who was severely wounded in Ukraine earlier this year when his vehicle was struck by incoming fire while on the ground covering Russia’s invasion.
"We have some heartwarming news to share with everyone. Jay and I traveled to Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas yesterday to see Ben Hall ahead of his 40th birthday. We had a wonderful visit with him," Scott wrote in an internal email to staffers. "He looks incredible given everything he has endured, and he is truly an inspiration. He also loved the birthday card from his FOX colleagues."
Scott included two photos of Hall in front of the birthday card signed by colleagues.
FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and FOX News Media President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace visit State Department Correspondent Benjamin Hall at the Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas. (FOX News)
The tragic attack occurred when Hall was traveling alongside Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra "Sasha" Kuvshinova and cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski, who were both killed. After the attack, Hall was rescued from the war zone in March and eventually transferred to a premier military medical facility in Texas where he has undergone multiple surgeries.
State Department Correspondent Benjamin Hall at the Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas gets a Happy Birthday from FOX News ahead of his 40th. (FOX News)
"He still has a long road to full recovery, but his progress over the last four months has been nothing short of remarkable. London Bureau Chief Dragan Petrovic recently traveled to see Ben as well and was just as heartened by the visit," Scott said.
"Ben asked us to let the entire team at FOX News Media know he is doing well, misses his FOX family and most of all he wanted to express how thankful he is for everyone reaching out and for the continuous support over the last several months. He is looking forward to returning home to be with his wife, children, and chocolate Labrador retriever in the near future," Scott continued. "He also looks forward to returning to his FOX family and to the work he loves. We are excited for that day as well."
FOX NEWS' BENJAMIN HALL TRANSFERRED TO TEXAS AFTER SUFFERING SERIOUS INJURIES REPORTING FROM UKRAINE
Hall has three young daughters at home.
The attack on Hall, Kuvshinova and Zakrzewski devastated Fox News and the journalism industry at large. Kuvshynova was just 24 years old and serving as a consultant, helping crews navigate Kyiv and the surrounding area while gathering information and speaking to sources.
Zakrzewski, a Fox News legend who covered nearly every international story during a storied tenure, was only 55 years old. Last year, he played a key role in getting Afghan freelance associates and their families out of the country after the U.S. withdrawal. Only three months before his death, Zakrzewski was awarded the "Unsung Hero" award during the FOX News Media Spotlight Awards.
Benjamin Hall (L) and Pierre Zakrzewski (R) (Fox News)
FUNERAL HELD FOR FOX NEWS CAMERAMAN PIERRE ZAKRZEWSKI IN IRELAND
The nonprofit organization Save Our Allies helped get Hall safely out of Ukraine. To extract Hall from the combat zone, the group worked with the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, along with the Polish and Ukrainian militaries. The effort on the ground was led by a "special operations and intelligence veteran," the group revealed, as the team made sure Hall was stabilized and overseen by military medical personnel during the transport.
Once successfully evacuated from Ukraine, Hall was transported across the border to Poland and then to the Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany where he received care before being transferred to Texas.
"All in all I feel pretty damn lucky to be here," Hall previously tweeted.
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Fox News’ Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.