Bob Woodruff: Are We Serving Our Veterans? 

Bob Woodruff, acclaimed correspondent for ABC News, visited Seattle Friday, July 15, 2011 for a presentation at Town Hall Seattle.

Mr. Woodruff talked about the needs of our veterans and their families, and met with student veterans and others.

In January 2006, Woodruff had just been named co-anchor of ABC-TV’s “World News Tonight,” replacing the late Peter Jennings, when his life changed in an instant:  He was seriously injured in a roadside bombing in Iraq. 

Woodruff’s experience as a survivor of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and as an embedded reporter with U.S. troops leads him to ask:  With so many soldiers returning home to face life-altering healthcare and mental health issues, a high unemployment rate and even homelessness, are we doing all we can to serve our nation’s veterans and their families?

Watch here Bob Woodruff's December 26, 2010 report "Coming Home Homeless" on ABC's This Week 

His talk was followed by a panel discussion/"Town Meeting" on the needs of veterans and their families, and moderated by Bryan Johnson, senior/correspondent/analyst, KOMO 4 News.  Panelists, in addition to Mr. Woodruff, were all veterans with a specific expertise:

• Mary Forbes, assistant director for veterans services, Washington Department of Veterans Affairs, is charged with ending homelessness among Washington state veterans in five years.
• Audrey Hudgins is a Seattle University political science professor and academic adviser to student-veterans.
• Timm Lovitt is a Seattle U student and Vet Corps consultant to Washington state universities and colleges on how faculty and staff can help student-veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) adjust to life on campus.
• Sheila Sebron is a veteran advocate and member of the governing board of the Committee to End Homelessness in King County.

Listen here to Bob Woodruff's radio interview on the "Ron and Don Show" on KIRO Radio, Thursday, July 14, as he previews his Town Hall presentation on Military Veterans.  

Read the July 29, 2011 Crosscut.com story on the Veterans and Human Services Levy featuring interviews with Bob Woodruff and several of our panelists. 

Watch here Bob Woodruff's candid conversation with Kathi Goertzen on KOMO 4 News on August 3, 2011. 

Read here Journalism Fellow Rosette Royale's interview with Bob Woodruff in the August 10, 2011 issue of Real Change News.