Bob Woodruff Back In Iraq

NEW YORK — ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff returned to Iraq on Monday for the first time since he was nearly killed there by a roadside bomb more than three years ago.

Woodruff is on a reporting trip that left Washington with Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The ABC newsman is staying on U.S. military bases while he is in Iraq.

Woodruff suffered a serious brain injury from the Jan. 29, 2006, bomb that exploded while he was riding in an Iraqi army tank, his upper body exposed as he stood in the hatch. He returned to ABC News after an arduous 13-month recovery, and he's done extensive reporting on the plight of people who were severely injured in the war.

"I have wanted to `get back on the horse again' since my recovery," Woodruff said in a blog post. "This will be a different horse, probably not as big, not as fast ..."

He said he owed it to his family and colleagues and the injured "brothers and sisters" he's been reporting about not to venture into battle zones.

It wasn't an easy decision to return, he said. Woodruff and his wife, Lee, wrote the book "In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing," about his progression from not even remembering his twin daughters to being able to report again.

He said he wanted to get a picture of how the war is going and also interview medical personnel.

Bad weather foiled his first report, scheduled to air on "World News" Monday. A sandstorm in Kirkuk, where Woodruff and Mullen were, disrupted ABC's satellite capabilities and made them unable to transmit the story, the network said.

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ABC News President David Westin, who said when Woodruff returned to work in 2007 that it would be the "height of recklessness" to send him back to Iraq, said the opportunity to travel with Mullen presented the right set of circumstances.

"My concern has always been Bob's health and safety," he wrote in a memo to ABC News staff members Monday. "I was assured he would be on American bases throughout his trip there, but still be able to report firsthand on the important stories of Iraq."

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Comments

[SouthPrairie]

My regards, my respect, and my prayers to you Mr. Woodruff.

[JakeMontero]

I'm surprised he didn't want to go and cover the presidents war in Afghanistan.

[GiannaX]

Wow....!

Godspeed Mr. Woodruff!

[raker]

Sounds idiotic and exploitative for ratings to me. Besides, reporters never give us any information of value from Iraq, so why put himself in such danger for the charade of "reporting from a war zone."

[mew-too]

A courageous man. I read the book his wife wrote about his terrific injury in Iraq. He has tremendous family support.

[Sketchartist]

Unfortunately, these reader comments demonstrate that most people can't see the slightest difference between a lousy reporter and a very good one.

[lornejl]

20 comments.

When war gets a collective yawn , something is terribly wrong.

[hjo4]

What doe he have to prove and to who. This is a very selfish act for a man who has a wife and children. Who would put their career before the mental well being of their family. Such poor judgment skills for a supposed intelligent man. Pity.

[Unshriven]

Just maybe this has something to do with healing.

[WasteNJ]

Sometimes in life you need to get some kind of closure for yourself, for Bob Woodruf if may be that he feels he needs to finish his work there in Iraq. No matter what people say, you can't live your life for somebody else and be happy.

And there are plenty of intelligent men and women with families working or serving in Iraq, for their own reasons. Don't judge unless you've worn those boots.

[dramaglama]

Healing the mental well being of the family can not take place until his mental well being healed.

I applaud him for facing his demons and his past. The only way past is through and he will be a better man for it. He'll be better for himself and better for his family. We should be supporting his decision to move on and past, not criticizing him.

[chevyval]

It's a healing trip for his psyche - I applaud him.

[andyboy]

If there was no reporters and no American soldiers there none of them would ever get injured or killed. What are they dying for exactly? So we don''t have to fight them over here. Strange. There are none of them here.

So in reality we are fighting them over there because otherwise there could be no fight at all. The USA has manufactured this entire "war in the Middle east" scenario.

[DestinationsUnknown]

God Bless

and thanks for your loyalty to reporting news and facts

[andyboy]

ABC News President David Westin, who said when Woodruff returned to work in 2007 that it would be the "height of recklessness" to send him back to Iraq, said the opportunity to travel with Mullen presented the right set of circumstances.

"My concern has always been Bob's health and safety," he wrote in a memo to ABC News staff members Monday. "I was assured he would be on American bases throughout his trip there, but still be able to report firsthand on the important stories of Iraq."

Ratings always trump any human concerns. These people have no souls and would trade their Mammy for a story or some publicity. I wish no ill will to Woodruff but the sheer idiocy of his actions is almost too surreal to believe.

[getoffthecross]

People without souls would also prefer there was NO reporting from Iraq. If it requires some amount of sensational reporting in order to keep the ongoing struggle (that we created) in people's faces, then more power to him.

It's a personal decision. i don't know if I would make the same choice, but I'm also in no position to judge. Apparently, several commentators here feel differently.

[belfam]

be SAFE Bob and God bless

[RedStateCenterLeft]

The dude is a reporter's reporter. Get some great stories, Bob. Stay safe.

[reggieb]

courage

[newyorkid]

Bob Woodruff Back In Iraq ... to keep reprting vvar p_ropaganda.

[Ergon]

Faved and fanned

[vet-of4renwarz]

You mean propaganda like the thousands of injured troops and the medical staff that have to work 24/7 12-18 months long deployments? Yea i know EXACTLY what you mean...