About this episode

Captain Sal Sferrazza shares his experience of recovering a downed Marine in Afghanistan.

During his service as a combat rescue officer in the US Air Force, Captain Sal Sferrazza and his team of Air Force pararescue jumpers were deployed to Afghanistan, where their mission set included casualty evacuation, personnel recovery, and reintegration operations. In this episode of The Spear, Sal relates the story of how he and his team were called into action in Helmand Province to assist in the recovery of the body of a Marine who stepped on a pressure-plate IED and was blown into a fast-moving mountain river.

People in this episode

Guest: Captain Sal Sferrazza

Topics covered

• military operations
• casualty evacuation
• personnel recovery
• combat rescue
• Afghanistan

Keywords

• combat rescue
• Air Force
• pararescue jumpers
• IED
• Helmand Province
• military
• casualty evacuation

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Afghanistan, Helmand Province, mountain river

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• Ranger Missions in Iraq and Afghanistan · March 10, 2026 · 1h 2m
• Combat Interpreter in Iraq · February 10, 2026 · 1h 6m
• Route Clearance and Counterbattery in Iraq · January 15, 2026 · 56 min
• Combat Surgery in Afghanistan · November 19, 2025 · 48 min

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