And speaking of the Army... here's a soldier you should know about.

Readers of this meager effort know I am rarely at a loss for words.  This is close to one of these times.

Read about this man, this warrior doctor of all things, a man who loved his country and who loved Special Forces enough to sacrifice his entire professional life to be a part of the Teams... unique in my experience in the entire Army.

Sgt. Roy A. Wood


ODA 2092, Company C, 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne)

His 24-year military career with the Army Reserve and Army National Guard is distinguished and unique. After receiving a commission as a second lieutenant in 1979, he was first assigned to the Army Reserves 421st Quartermaster Company (Light Airdrop Supply).

While assigned to the 421st, he received training as a quartermaster officer, a parachute rigger, and participated in both basic airborne and jumpmaster courses.

In January 1982, he left the 421st to begin an association with U.S. Army Special Forces.  His first SF assignment was to the Army Reserve’s 11th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Meade, Md., where he served in the 3rd Battalion's Company A as the detachment executive officer for Operational Detachment-A 1175.

In May 1983, he became Detachment Commander for ODA 1175 after returning from the Special Forces Detachment Officer Qualification Course.

In October 1984, he left ODA 1175 to become the Company Logistics Officer.

He served in a variety of positions at the 11th SFG over the next 11 years, including operations officer and support company commander.

After four years at USSOCOM, he served a year with the Army Reserve's 73rd Field Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., before switching from the Reserve to the Army National Guard and renewing his association with Special Forces.

He was assigned to 3rd Bn., 20th SFG in December 2001, where he served for a year as the Battalion Surgeon, supervising medical coverage of three Special Forces companies and one support company.

In December 2002, he resigned his commission to become a Special Forces medical sergeant on Operational Detachment-A 2092, Co. C, 3rd Bn., 20th SFG.

He, with ODA 2092, was mobilized in July 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

At the time of his death, he was pending appointment as a Special Forces warrant officer, a position in which he would have served his team as an assistant detachment commander.

His awards include the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Reserve Achievement Medal with Silver Hourglass device, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Basic Parachutist badge, the Parachute Rigger badge, the Ranger tab and the Special Forces tab.

For those not in the military, decoding all of this:

Sgt. Wood was an Army officer.  He was commissioned in the Quartermaster Corps, apparently... went to medical school... became a doctor specializing in emergency medicine... and resigned his field grade commission to become a medic... and then put himself on the career track where he would receive a warrant (which is between enlisted and commissioned ranks) so he could again command an operational detachment of Special Forces.

Had he been successful, he would have been the only soldier I had ever known of to have served first as an officer, then as an enlisted man and then as a warrant.

Not saying he's the only one... but I've never heard of it.

So, with 24 years of service, at the age of 47 holding a rank I had when I was 20... he goes back out with the Teams... only to be killed in a traffic accident near Kabul.

Sgt. Roy A. Wood


47 years old from Alva, Florida

ODA 2092, Company C, 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne)

January 26, 2005

Sgt. Roy A. Wood, a Special Forces medical sergeant, was fatally injured when the vehicle he was riding in was involved in a traffic accident near Kabul, Afghanistan, during a return convoy from Qalat to Bagram Air Base.

This is an amazing record.  Just amazing.  What a tremendous loss we suffered with his tragic death.... Even though it was 8 years ago.