In the early hours of 6 September 2006, Taliban activity was spotted in the form of a checkpoint being set up by armed militants.
[1] As they traversed the landscape towards their vantage point, LCpl Hale stood on and triggered a land mine, suffering an amputation of his lower right leg and serious injuries to his right hand, including the loss of a finger; he initially thought he had been hit by a mortar shell.
[2] The remaining paratroopers in the dam began to administer first aid and a tourniquet while calling for support from any surrounding units and a winch from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
As more troopers arrived, Hale was moved onto a small embankment on the side of the riverbed.
This is when Pearson went to retrieve a water bottle left at the scene where Hale was being treated, and triggered another explosion.