Recovering a Downed Marine in Afghanistan
From The Spear by Modern War Institute at West Point
September 10, 2025 · 1h 21m
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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