TLC Talk: Benjamin Hall – ‘A Bracing Tale of Life on the Edge of Death’
Thursday 4th June at 11:00 | £15
This talk takes place on a Thursday in order to fit in with Benjamin’s international travel schedule. Benjamin Hall is a truly remarkable man and a tremendous communicator. When veteran war reporter Benjamin woke up in Kyiv on the morning of 14 March 2022, he had no idea that, within hours, Russian bombs would nearly end his life. As a journalist for Fox News, he had worked in dangerous war zones like Syria and Afghanistan, but with three young daughters at home, life on the edge was supposed to be a thing of the past. Yet when Russia viciously attacked Ukraine in February 2022, he quickly volunteered to go. A few weeks later, while on assignment, Benjamin and his crew were blown up in a Russian strike. With Benjamin himself gravely injured and stuck in Kyiv, it was unclear if he would make it out alive.
Benjamin was evacuated from Ukraine and underwent dozens of surgeries, losing his right leg below the knee and part of his left foot. He was severely burned and lost the sight in one eye, but has since returned to work, even traveling back to Ukraine to interview President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who gave Benjamin an award for his ‘outstanding personal contribution to strengthening interstate cooperation, support for Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity.’
Benjamin is an award-winning British American journalist and author based in the USA. His most recent two books are ‘Resolute: How We Humans Keep Finding Ways to Beat the Toughest Odds’ and ‘Saved: A War Reporter’s Mission to Make It Home’. In 2015 he wrote ‘Inside ISIS: The Brutal Rise of a Terrorist Army’. We are delighted that he has accepted our long-standing invitation to talk on this short visit to London.
Members wishing to have lunch afterwards in either the Coffee Room or Ribbon Bar are advised to book in advance to avoid disappointment.