A decorated naval doctor spoke about the rescue of Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall, who was wounded by Russian troops in the battles near Kiev and ended up in a war zone in need of medical attention.
Bronze Star winner Dr. Richard Jadik, 56, the most decorated combat doctor in the Iraq War, told Fox News he was leading a course in Tennessee when the combat rescue organization Save Our Allies called him and said they needed his help. American evacuation.
– They called me, I went home. I packed my things, got on a plane and told my family where I was going,” Jadik told Fox host Martha McCallum. “Toward the end of the week, we got a call to move to Kyiv, and we had to evacuate a seriously injured patient.”
Bronze Star winner Dr. Richard Jadik, 56, the most decorated combat doctor in the Iraq War, spoke about the rescue of Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall, who was wounded by Russian troops in the battles near Kiev and ended up in a combat zone in need of medical attention.
Wounded FOX News reporter Benjamin Hall is now out of Ukraine and being treated by doctors. It’s unclear exactly where he is, but the network said on Wednesday that he was in “good spirits.”
That patient turned out to be Hall, who was injured in the explosion that killed Fox cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and Oleskandra Kurshinova.
“I was in the right place at the right time,” Jadik said humbly.
Yadik first flew to Poland, but when he heard that a Fox correspondent needed his help, he parachuted into the war zone without hesitation.
He arrived at the hospital where Hall was being treated and introduced himself.
“I saw Ben and looked at him, I said: “Ben, you don’t know me, my name is Rich Jadik, I am a surgeon, I am here to get you out of here.”
Hall was ready to cooperate.
“When do you want to go?” Jadik said, the reporter replied.
“I said that we will go in about 20 minutes, we are going to collect you and find a way to get you out of here,” he said.
In 2004, he rescued soldiers at the Second Battle of Fallujah.
Yadik said he was struck by the determination of the Ukrainian people, especially the orthopedic surgeon who guarded the hospital at night with an AK-47 and operated on the wounded during the day.
“I really can’t say enough about this orthopedic surgeon,” he said.
“We were going to do some business the next day,” Jadik said, but it got hot and they had to evacuate immediately. “We got word that we had to clean up that night, so I said, ‘Ben, we’re moving.
Irish cameraman Pierre Zakrewski was killed along with producer Alexandra Kurshinova in the attack. They worked with Hall.
Benjamin Hall, 39, reports for Fox News from Ukraine about the Russian invasion.
Dr. Richard Jadic received the Bronze Star for his heroism after treating 30 Marines at the Second Battle of Fallujah.
Jadik was a naval doctor stationed in North Carolina when he volunteered for service in Iraq at the age of 38, when his wife was nine months pregnant.
He developed emergency battlefield measures that helped save 30 Marines at the Second Battle of Fallujah. During the 11-day battle, only one person whom he treated did not survive from wounds.
Using his battle-tested experience in Iraq, Jadik said he assessed Hall and decided that he could be moved under the right circumstances.
“Ben had several critical injuries that needed a lot of attention,” Jadick told Fox. “One of the signs of a patient’s evacuation is that the patient becomes worse in harsh conditions, when he gets out of a bad situation. And a bad situation could be made worse by simply getting into the wrong evacuation situation, so we worked hard to put together the right script to get him out safely,” he told McCallum.
Jadik was assisted by an unnamed “special operations and intelligence veteran” who worked with Save Our Allies, which in turn coordinated with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and the Ukrainian and Polish armies.
“I want to take my hat off to the guys I was with who put it all together. “Save our allies” are the ones who put us in the right position so that we can do for Ben what he needs, which is a safe and easy recovery,” said Jadik.
Hall, who is originally from London, was flown back to the United States, where he was reunited with his wife and three daughters in Washington, DC, where the family lives.
He covers the US State Department for Fox News and studied at Ampleforth College for £38,000 a year in North Yorkshire before studying at Duke University in North Carolina, University of Richmond in London and University of the Arts London.
Hall is a dual citizen of the UK and the US and wrote a book about the history of the Islamic State in 2015 called Inside ISIS: A Brutal Rise of a Terrorist Army.
The journalist has also worked for the BBC, ITN and Channel 4 and has written for The Times, The Sunday Times, The New York Times and Agence France Presse.
Hall has three daughters with his wife Alicia Meller, an Australian fashion businesswoman.
Hall has three young daughters with his wife, Alicia Meller, an Australian fashionista whom he married in 2015. Other Fox News staff remain in Ukraine to cover the war that began on February 24.
Fox News Media Executive Director Suzanne Scott told Fox News staff in an email: “Our correspondent Benjamin Hall was injured while gathering news outside of Kyiv in Ukraine.
“Right now we have a minimal level of detail, but Ben is hospitalized and our teams on the ground are working to gather more information as the situation quickly evolves.
“The safety of our entire team of journalists in Ukraine and the surrounding regions is our top priority and is of paramount importance.
“This is a serious reminder to all journalists who risk their lives every day to bring news from the war zone. We will update everyone as we know more. Please pray for Ben and his family.”
The State Department Correspondents’ Association said in a statement that they were “horrified to learn that our fellow correspondent Benjamin Hall was wounded while covering the war in Ukraine.”
“We know Ben for his warmth, good humor and the highest professionalism,” the message says. “We wish Ben a speedy recovery and urge him to make every effort to protect the journalists who are doing an invaluable service by covering events in Ukraine.”