Bob Woodruff

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Bob Woodruff bigraphy, stories - American journalist

Bob Woodruff : biography

August 18, 1961 –

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 December 2005. A month later, he was critically wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

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 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.

Woodruff delivered the commencement address at Boston College on May 21, 2012.

Wounded in Iraq

On January 29, 2006, Bob Woodruff and Canadian cameraman Doug Vogt were seriously injured in an explosion from an improvised explosive device near Taji, Iraq, about 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 U.S. Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in 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.

Recovery from injuries

Woodruff was kept in a medically induced coma 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., a March 2006 article from Editor & Publisher 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.