Bob Woodruff
Encyclopedia
|birth_place=Bloomfield Hills
, Michigan
, U.S.
|education=Colgate University
|occupation=Television journalist
|years_active=1989 – present
|spouse=Lee McConaughy
|children=
|credits=ABC World News co-anchor
(2006)ABC News
reporter
(1996 – present)
|website=Official ABC biography
Bob Woodruff Foundation
}}
Robert Warren "Bob" Woodruff (born August 18, 1961) is an American television
journalist
. His career in journalism dates back to 1989, and he is widely known for succeeding Peter Jennings
as co-anchor of ABC News
' weekday news broadcast
, World News Tonight in January 2006. Later the same month, he was critically wounded by a roadside bomb
in Iraq.
, to Robert N. Woodruff, Jr., and Fran Woodruff. Bob and his wife Lee McConaughy were married in 1988 and have four children.
He grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
, where he graduated from the private Cranbrook Kingswood school in 1979. He earned a B.A in 1983 from Colgate University
, where he also played lacrosse — finishing his career with 184 points, second all-time at Colgate. Woodruff earned a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School
in 1987. He is an alumnus of Theta Chi
Fraternity
. He is fluent in German
and Mandarin, in addition to his native English
.
After graduating from law school, he worked as a bankruptcy
associate at Shearman & Sterling
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/01/30/the-recovery-of-recovering-lawyer-bob-woodruff. In 1989, while Woodruff was teaching law in Beijing
, CBS News hired him as an on-screen interpreter during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
. Shortly after this experience, he left the practice of law and became a full-time correspondent, initially working for several local stations, then moving to ABC News in 1996. During Bob's time in London, he played soccer for a couple of seasons with the Doncaster Rovers Supporters Club in the APFSCIL Football League. Bob played in the final of the APFSCIL Cup just before leaving to go back to the USA and taking up his new role with ABC.
Bob Woodruff is not related to journalist Judy Woodruff
.
cameraman Doug Vogt
were seriously injured in an explosion from an improvised explosive device
near Taji, Iraq
, about 12 miles (19.3 km) north of Baghdad. Woodruff had traveled with an ABC News team to Israel
to report on the aftermath of the 2006 Palestinian elections
, and then via Amman to Baghdad, so he could meet with troops before President George W. Bush
's State of the Union address for 2006
.
At the time of the attack, they were embedded
with the U.S. 4th Infantry Division
, travelling in an Iraqi MT-LB
. Woodruff and Vogt were standing with their heads above a hatch, apparently filming a stand-up. Both men were wearing body armor
and protective helmets at the time. Woodruff sustained shrapnel wounds; Vogt was struck by shrapnel in the head and suffered a broken shoulder. Both men underwent surgery for head injuries, with a joint Army & Air Force neurosurgical team, at the U.S. Air Force hospital south of Balad
, located in Camp Anaconda, and were reported to be in stable condition. Tom Brokaw reported on the Today show that Woodruff had also undergone surgery, with a portion of his skull being removed to reduce the damage from brain swelling.
Woodruff and Vogt were evacuated to the United States Army Medical Command
hospital at Landstuhl
, Germany
, overnight on Sunday, January 29. On ABC World News Tonight that evening, anchor Elizabeth Vargas
discussed the dangers of reporting in a combat zone.
After leaving Germany, Woodruff was treated for weeks at Bethesda Naval Hospital
in Bethesda, Maryland
.
for 36 days to assist his recovery, and ABC News temporarily assigned Good Morning America
anchors Charles Gibson
and Diane Sawyer
to alternate duties on the evening newscast as co-anchor with Vargas. Vogt meanwhile was reported to be awake, mobile, and recovering.
As of March 7, 2006, Woodruff's brother reported that the ABC anchor was beginning to walk, recognize friends and family, and speak in several languages. However, he struggled with expressive aphasia
for more than a year after the injury. Woodruff was transferred on March 16, 2006, to a medical facility closer to his Westchester County, New York
, home, a sign of "continued progress in all respects", ABC News President David Westin
said in an e-mail to staffers.
Westin's email noted that Woodruff was able to get around, talk to and joke with his family, but that "months of further recuperation" were still required.
On April 6, 2006, ABC News released photos of Woodruff recovering at home, along with a letter thanking everyone for their support and kindness during his ongoing recovery. He especially thanked the soldiers, doctors, and nurses who had saved his life. On December 29, 2006, Woodruff's wife, Lee, an editor at Family Fun Magazine appeared on Good Morning America
to discuss family activities to celebrate the New Year. During the report, anchor Kate Snow
asked Lee about her husband's condition. Lee said that Bob was doing well and was currently filming a television documentary
about his experiences. She also revealed that he had been back to Iraq since the incident to visit the soldiers with whom he was traveling at the time of his injury.
rankings, though it has lost some ground to NBC's first-place Nightly News, anchored by Brian Williams
. Bob Schieffer
on CBS Evening News also closed the gap with ABC after Woodruff's injury. On May 23, 2006, Vargas announced her resignation from WNT, citing her doctors' recommendation to cut back her schedule considerably due to her upcoming maternity leave, and her wish to spend more time with her new baby. Gibson was then named sole anchor of the show, effective May 29, 2006.
, ABC World News with Charles Gibson, and The Oprah Winfrey Show
, in advance of a documentary that aired on ABC later that evening. Despite having made great progress in his recovery, during the GMA interview with Diane Sawyer, Woodruff had some difficulty remembering words and details, such as the name of the Vietnam War
and the word "injury". The hour-long documentary, "To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports", explored the consequences of traumatic brain injury
, and highlighted the difficulties brain injured veterans face finding treatment — a subject which had first appeared in Discover
magazine several weeks earlier, and was elaborated on by Washington Post
reporters in the exposé, "Painting Over the Problems at Walter Reed's Building 18".
Woodruff resumed his contributions to ABC World News with Charles Gibson the following day, February 28, with the first in a series of followup reports focusing on the problems that wounded American soldiers are encountering in their treatment and recovery, particularly at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
. Starting March 7, he was scheduled to begin reporting for Nightline "at regular intervals".
On July 12, 2008, Woodruff began hosting a new weekly ABC News-produced newscast, Focus Earth with Bob Woodruff, on the Planet Green television channel. On Focus Earth, Woodruff covers the environmental news of the week, looking at subjects ranging from climate impact, environmental policy, political debate and world events, as well as how climate change affects religious and cultural views and issues.
On June 11, 2007, Woodruff gave the (boys) commencement address at his prep school alma mater, Cranbrook Kingswood. In 2006, he was awarded the school's Distinguished Alumni Award.
On April 26, 2008, Woodruff received an honorary degree and delivered a commencement address at the University of Michigan
spring graduation.
On May 11, 2008, Woodruff gave the commencement address at Syracuse University
in the Carrier Dome
.
Woodruff and his wife Lee delivered the commencement address at the University of Arizona
on May 15, 2010.
Woodruff also delivered the commencement address at Niagara University
on May 22, 2010.
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan, northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,869...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|education=Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
|occupation=Television journalist
|years_active=1989 – present
|spouse=Lee McConaughy
|children=
|credits=ABC World News co-anchor
(2006)ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
reporter
(1996 – present)
|website=Official ABC biography
Bob Woodruff Foundation
}}
Robert Warren "Bob" Woodruff (born August 18, 1961) is an American television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. His career in journalism dates back to 1989, and he is widely known for succeeding Peter Jennings
Peter Jennings
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM was a Canadian American journalist and news anchor. He was the sole anchor of ABC's World News Tonight from 1983 until his death in 2005 of complications from lung cancer...
as co-anchor of ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
' weekday news broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
, World News Tonight in January 2006. Later the same month, he was critically wounded by a roadside bomb
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
in Iraq.
Personal life
Woodruff was born on August 18, 1961, in Bloomfield Hills, MichiganBloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan, northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,869...
, to Robert N. Woodruff, Jr., and Fran Woodruff. Bob and his wife Lee McConaughy were married in 1988 and have four children.
He grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan, northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,869...
, where he graduated from the private Cranbrook Kingswood school in 1979. He earned a B.A in 1983 from Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
, where he also played lacrosse — finishing his career with 184 points, second all-time at Colgate. Woodruff earned a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...
in 1987. He is an alumnus of Theta Chi
Theta Chi
Theta Chi Fraternity is an international college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 as the Theta Chi Society, at Norwich University, Norwich, Vermont, U.S., and was the 21st of the 71 North-American Interfraternity Conference men's fraternities.-Founding and early years at Norwich:Theta...
Fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
. He is fluent in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Mandarin, in addition to his native English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
After graduating from law school, he worked as a bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
associate at Shearman & Sterling
Shearman & Sterling
Shearman & Sterling LLP is a law firm headquartered in New York City with 20 offices located in major financial centers around the world founded in 1873. It is well known for both its litigation and transactional capabilities, especially in International Arbitration, Capital Markets, Finance, and...
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/01/30/the-recovery-of-recovering-lawyer-bob-woodruff. In 1989, while Woodruff was teaching law in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, CBS News hired him as an on-screen interpreter during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
. Shortly after this experience, he left the practice of law and became a full-time correspondent, initially working for several local stations, then moving to ABC News in 1996. During Bob's time in London, he played soccer for a couple of seasons with the Doncaster Rovers Supporters Club in the APFSCIL Football League. Bob played in the final of the APFSCIL Cup just before leaving to go back to the USA and taking up his new role with ABC.
Bob Woodruff is not related to journalist Judy Woodruff
Judy Woodruff
Judy Woodruff is an American television news anchor and journalist.Woodruff is a Board Member at the IWMF .-Broadcast journalism career:...
.
Wounded in Iraq
On January 29, 2006, Bob Woodruff and CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
cameraman Doug Vogt
Doug Vogt
Doug Vogt is a Canadian photojournalist and cameraman. He was born in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. He lived 25 years in Europe and presently calls Los Angeles, USA his new home...
were seriously injured in an explosion from an improvised explosive device
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
near Taji, Iraq
Taji, Iraq
Taji, At Taji or Tajidiyah is a town approximately 20 miles north of the city of Baghdad, and is located in the Al-Faris district of the Salah ad Din Governorate. Taji is the location of a large U.S.-controlled military base.-History:...
, about 12 miles (19.3 km) north of Baghdad. Woodruff had traveled with an ABC News team to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
to report on the aftermath of the 2006 Palestinian elections
Palestinian legislative election, 2006
On January 25, 2006, elections were held for the Palestinian Legislative Council , the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority . Notwithstanding the 2005 municipal elections and the January 9, 2005 presidential election, this was the first election to the PLC since 1996; subsequent...
, and then via Amman to Baghdad, so he could meet with troops before President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's State of the Union address for 2006
2006 State of the Union address
The 2006 State of the Union Address was delivered by United States President George W. Bush at 9 p.m. EST on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 to a joint session of the U.S. Congress...
.
At the time of the attack, they were embedded
Embedded journalist
Embedded journalism refers to news reporters being attached to military units involved in armed conflicts. While the term could be applied to many historical interactions between journalists and military personnel, it first came to be used in the media coverage of the 2003 invasion of Iraq...
with the U.S. 4th Infantry Division
U.S. 4th Infantry Division
The 4th Infantry Division is a modular division of the United States Army based at Fort Carson, Colorado, with four brigade combat teams. It is a very technically advanced combat division in the U.S. Army....
, travelling in an Iraqi MT-LB
MT-LB
The MT-LB is a Soviet multi-purpose fully amphibious auxiliary armoured vehicle which was first introduced in the late 1960s...
. Woodruff and Vogt were standing with their heads above a hatch, apparently filming a stand-up. Both men were wearing body armor
Bulletproof vest
A ballistic vest, bulletproof vest or bullet-resistant vest is an item of personal armor that helps absorb the impact from firearm-fired projectiles and shrapnel from explosions, and is worn on the torso...
and protective helmets at the time. Woodruff sustained shrapnel wounds; Vogt was struck by shrapnel in the head and suffered a broken shoulder. Both men underwent surgery for head injuries, with a joint Army & Air Force neurosurgical team, at the U.S. Air Force hospital south of Balad
Balad, Iraq
Balad is a city north of Baghdad in the Salah ad Din Governorate Iraq. It is located within the borders of the so-called Sunni Triangle; however, Balad is a primarily Shiite town of approximately 100,000...
, located in Camp Anaconda, and were reported to be in stable condition. Tom Brokaw reported on the Today show that Woodruff had also undergone surgery, with a portion of his skull being removed to reduce the damage from brain swelling.
Woodruff and Vogt were evacuated to the United States Army Medical Command
United States Army Medical Command
The U.S. Army Medical Command is a major command of the U.S. Army that provides command and control of the Army's fixed-facility medical, dental, and veterinary treatment facilities, providing preventive care, medical research and development and training institutions.MEDCOM is commanded by the...
hospital at Landstuhl
Landstuhl
Landstuhl , literally translating as "country-throne", is a municipality of over 9,000 people in southwestern Germany. It is part of the district of Kaiserslautern, in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and is home to the Sickinger Schloss, a small castle. It is situated on the north-western edge...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, overnight on Sunday, January 29. On ABC World News Tonight that evening, anchor Elizabeth Vargas
Elizabeth Vargas
Elizabeth Vargas is an American television journalist who is anchor of ABC's television newsmagazine 20/20 and ABC News Specials. She was previously an anchor of World News Tonight.-Early years:...
discussed the dangers of reporting in a combat zone.
After leaving Germany, Woodruff was treated for weeks at Bethesda Naval Hospital
National Naval Medical Center
The National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, USA — commonly known as the Bethesda Naval Hospital — was for decades the flagship of the United States Navy's system of medical centers. A federal institution, it conducted medical and dental research as well as providing health care for...
in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
.
Recovery from injuries
Woodruff was kept in a medically-induced comaInduced coma
A barbiturate-induced coma, or barb coma, is a temporary coma brought on by a controlled dose of a barbiturate drug, usually pentobarbital or thiopental...
for 36 days to assist his recovery, and ABC News temporarily assigned Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
anchors Charles Gibson
Charles Gibson
Charles deWolf "Charlie" Gibson is a former American broadcast television anchor and journalist. He was a host of Good Morning America from 1987 to 1998 and 1999 to 2006 and anchor of World News with Charles Gibson from 2006 to 2009....
and Diane Sawyer
Diane Sawyer
Lila Diane Sawyer is the current anchor of ABC News' flagship program, ABC World News. Previously, Sawyer had been co-anchor of ABC Newss morning news program, Good Morning America ....
to alternate duties on the evening newscast as co-anchor with Vargas. Vogt meanwhile was reported to be awake, mobile, and recovering.
As of March 7, 2006, Woodruff's brother reported that the ABC anchor was beginning to walk, recognize friends and family, and speak in several languages. However, he struggled with expressive aphasia
Expressive aphasia
Expressive aphasia , also known as Broca's aphasia in clinical neuropsychology and agrammatic aphasia in cognitive neuropsychology, is caused by damage to or developmental issues in anterior regions of the brain, including the left posterior inferior frontal gyrus known as Broca's area...
for more than a year after the injury. Woodruff was transferred on March 16, 2006, to a medical facility closer to his Westchester County, New York
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, home, a sign of "continued progress in all respects", ABC News President David Westin
David Westin
David Westin is the President and CEO of the News Licensing Group and the former president of ABC News...
said in an e-mail to staffers.
Westin's email noted that Woodruff was able to get around, talk to and joke with his family, but that "months of further recuperation" were still required.
On April 6, 2006, ABC News released photos of Woodruff recovering at home, along with a letter thanking everyone for their support and kindness during his ongoing recovery. He especially thanked the soldiers, doctors, and nurses who had saved his life. On December 29, 2006, Woodruff's wife, Lee, an editor at Family Fun Magazine appeared on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
to discuss family activities to celebrate the New Year. During the report, anchor Kate Snow
Kate Snow
Kate Snow is an American television journalist and correspondent for NBC's newsmagazine Dateline. In addition, she has also filled in as anchor for Nightly News. Prior to joining NBC, she was a co-anchor for the weekend edition of Good Morning America on ABC from 2004 to 2010...
asked Lee about her husband's condition. Lee said that Bob was doing well and was currently filming a television documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about his experiences. She also revealed that he had been back to Iraq since the incident to visit the soldiers with whom he was traveling at the time of his injury.
Consequences at ABC News
ABC's World News Tonight remained second in the Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
rankings, though it has lost some ground to NBC's first-place Nightly News, anchored by Brian Williams
Brian Williams
Brian Douglas Williams is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, the evening news program of the NBC television network, a position he assumed in 2004...
. Bob Schieffer
Bob Schieffer
Bob Lloyd Schieffer is an American television journalist who has been with CBS News since 1969, serving 23 years as anchor on the Saturday edition of CBS Evening News from 1973 to 1996; chief Washington correspondent since 1982, moderator of the Sunday public affairs show Face the Nation since...
on CBS Evening News also closed the gap with ABC after Woodruff's injury. On May 23, 2006, Vargas announced her resignation from WNT, citing her doctors' recommendation to cut back her schedule considerably due to her upcoming maternity leave, and her wish to spend more time with her new baby. Gibson was then named sole anchor of the show, effective May 29, 2006.
Return to air
On February 27, 2007, Woodruff appeared on Good Morning AmericaGood Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, ABC World News with Charles Gibson, and The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, in advance of a documentary that aired on ABC later that evening. Despite having made great progress in his recovery, during the GMA interview with Diane Sawyer, Woodruff had some difficulty remembering words and details, such as the name of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and the word "injury". The hour-long documentary, "To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports", explored the consequences of traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injury , also known as intracranial injury, occurs when an external force traumatically injures the brain. TBI can be classified based on severity, mechanism , or other features...
, and highlighted the difficulties brain injured veterans face finding treatment — a subject which had first appeared in Discover
Discover (magazine)
Discover is an American science magazine that publishes articles about science for a general audience. The monthly magazine was launched in October 1980 by Time Inc. It was sold to Family Media, the owners of Health, in 1987. Walt Disney Company bought the magazine when Family Media went out of...
magazine several weeks earlier, and was elaborated on by Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
reporters in the exposé, "Painting Over the Problems at Walter Reed's Building 18".
Woodruff resumed his contributions to ABC World News with Charles Gibson the following day, February 28, with the first in a series of followup reports focusing on the problems that wounded American soldiers are encountering in their treatment and recovery, particularly at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center was the United States Army's flagship medical center until 2011. Located on 113 acres in Washington, D.C., it served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military...
. Starting March 7, he was scheduled to begin reporting for Nightline "at regular intervals".
On July 12, 2008, Woodruff began hosting a new weekly ABC News-produced newscast, Focus Earth with Bob Woodruff, on the Planet Green television channel. On Focus Earth, Woodruff covers the environmental news of the week, looking at subjects ranging from climate impact, environmental policy, political debate and world events, as well as how climate change affects religious and cultural views and issues.
Book
In February 2007, Bob and Lee Woodruff published an account of their lives after Bob's injury, In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing. It details the beginnings of Woodruff's journalism career and the building of Bob and Lee's family. The book delves into the explosion in Iraq that affected his family and focuses on Bob's lengthy, ongoing recovery. A percentage of the proceeds are donated to the Bob Woodruff Foundation.Overview
More than 1.65 million U.S. service members have been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq since September 11, 2001. More than 35,000 service members have been physically wounded. Based on surveys of previously-deployed service members, it is estimated that more than 320,000 have probably sustained traumatic brain injuries and more than 300,000 have probable psychological wounds. ReMIND.org is spreading this message and raising money to give injured service members, veterans and their families the local support and resources they deserve as they heal and reintegrate into their communities.Mission
ReMIND.org, a Bob Woodruff Foundation Initiative, provides resources and support to injured service members, veterans and their families, and is building a movement to empower communities nationwide to take action to successfully reintegrate our nation’s injured heroes — especially those who have sustained the hidden injuries of war — back into their communities, and ensure they thrive physically, psychologically, socially, and economically.Commencement addresses
On May 20, 2007, Bob and Lee Woodruff gave the commencement address at Colgate University, their undergraduate alma mater.On June 11, 2007, Woodruff gave the (boys) commencement address at his prep school alma mater, Cranbrook Kingswood. In 2006, he was awarded the school's Distinguished Alumni Award.
On April 26, 2008, Woodruff received an honorary degree and delivered a commencement address at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
spring graduation.
On May 11, 2008, Woodruff gave the commencement address at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
in the Carrier Dome
Carrier Dome
The Carrier Dome is a 49,250-seat domed sports stadium located on the campus of Syracuse University in the University Hill neighborhood of Syracuse, New York, USA. It is home to the Syracuse Orange football, basketball, and lacrosse teams. High school football championships are also held in "The...
.
Woodruff and his wife Lee delivered the commencement address at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
on May 15, 2010.
Woodruff also delivered the commencement address at Niagara University
Niagara University
Niagara University is a Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition, located in the Town of Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. Originally founded by the Congregation of the Mission in 1856 as Our Lady of Angels Seminary, it became Niagara University in 1883. The University is still run by...
on May 22, 2010.
Awards
Woodruff has received numerous journalism awards, including:- Radio and Television Association's David Bloom Award for Excellence in Enterprise (2006);
- Peabody AwardPeabody AwardThe George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
for Bob Woodruff Reporting: Wounds of War - The Long Road Home for Our Nation's Veterans (2007); - Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of AmericaIraq and Afghanistan Veterans of AmericaIraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America , is an advocacy group dedicated to United States veterans of the War in Iraq and War in Afghanistan. The group claims to be the nation's first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars and has more than 200,000 Member Veterans...
's (IAVA) "Civilian Service Award" for his dedication to our nation's newest generation of veterans (2007); - Los Angeles Press Club's Daniel PearlDaniel PearlDaniel Pearl was an American journalist who was kidnapped and killed by Al-Qaeda.At the time of his kidnapping, Pearl served as the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, and was based in Mumbai, India. He went to Pakistan as part of an investigation into the alleged links between...
Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism (2008).
External links
- Bob Woodruff at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Vargas, Woodruff Named Co-Anchors of ABC's 'World News Tonight' ABC.com. December 5, 2005.
- Vargas, Woodruff to share anchor desk at ABC MSNBC. December 5, 2005.
- Official ABC biography
- Bob Woodruff Foundation
- "Military Widows Hit the Road" Bob Woodruff with the American Widow Project. March 25, 2009.