On 27 Hours in the Trenches, Concussion and Fear: сonfessions of Daniel Salem

Salem

Ukrainian TV presenter and fighter of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Daniel Salem spoke about the second concussion he received during a clash with the enemy. After another injury, the showman became deaf in one ear and injured his spine. Salem shared these and other details of his life after February 24 in a large exclusive interview with Hryhoriy Reshetnik in the program  “How are you?”.

 About contusions and wounds on the battlefield

“I came to Kyiv to catch up a bit.” It so happened that a second contusion occurred. I can’t hear anything in my left ear – the cyst has burst – said Daniel, – In the second or third month of the war, we worked with the assault group about 20 meters from the orks, shooting RPGs. One orc climbed a hill and threw a fragmentation grenade. I managed to fall, but there was a vibration. A shrapnel hit the commander in the neck, and the deputy commander in the leg. One bullet went through the side, mine – in the armored car. That’s how I got a contusion and a crack in the vertebra.”

About fear and the cause of men’s tears

Daniel admitted that there are moments when it becomes scary:

“If you’re not scared, you’re either a fool or dead. It is not scary only in the process. You are constantly in euphoria. All sensors are turned on. You remember what you were taught, that you remember from school, everything that the commander said. You have to be patient, understand that you can get into trouble. That’s what happened to me: I got unhooked from the section, I was alone in a small trench for 27 hours. He barely covered me. The enemy is all around. We had to wait for the evacuation. If I were young, I would say: “I’m going to crawl now.” But no. I would just be shot by a sniper somewhere and that’s it. I was lying down. It was scary because you can’t do anything. To the toilet – only for yourself. I sang and cried. I ran out of water. I wanted to eat and sleep. But then I open my eyes – and I see the commander above me, who says: “What, I thought we wouldn’t come back for you?”. I burst into tears and thanked the boys. We differ from the orcs in that we do not abandon ours.”

About military skills and family

Daniel has military skills since his youth, because at the age of 17-18 he served in the army in Lebanon.        

“My father is from Beirut, my mother is Jewish, from Odesa, as is my grandmother. My grandfather is of the Cossack family. Dad was a military man, but then he studied in Ukraine to become an engineer, mom was also an engineer. She also starred in movies at the Odesa Film Studio.”  – told about Daniel’s family.

See the interview about why the hero decided to join the Ukrainian army during a full-scale war, as well as about the capture of Russian soldiers and separation from his family.

Photo: Daniel Salem’s personal archive


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