ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff, who was severely injured in a roadside bombing while covering Iraq in 2006, is returning to the country — and the exact spot where he was hurt — in a new special. ABC News Studios’ “After the Blast: The Will to Survive,” which chronicles Woodruff’s journey back to where it all happened, will premiere Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and stream on Hulu the following day.
Woodruff was ABC’s “World News Tonight” anchor with Elizabeth Vargas in 2006, when he and cameraperson Doug Vogt suffered a near-death experience during a roadside bombing. Vargas simultaneously went on maternity leave and departed the newscast; Charles Gibson then took over “World News.”
Woodruff left Iraq with a traumatic brain injury and a long recovery process, although he returned to “World News Tonight” the following year as a correspondent. In the special, he visits Iraq with his son, Mack, to reflect on his journey since then while also reckoning with his own past trauma.
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According to the press release, the one-hour special follows Woodruff as he “returns to the explosion site for the very first time to an area once known as the ‘Triangle of Death,’ with his son, Mack, by his side. There, Woodruff reunites with the Iraqis who worked alongside the American troops to help save him as he retraces his 72 hours on the ground in 2006 and reexamines the implications of this war.”
Wendy Krantz serves as executive producer, while David Sloan serves as senior executive producer on the special. Interviewees featured in the special include Vogt and others who were with Woodruff during the bombing, including ABC News sound technician Magnus Macedo, former ABC News senior producer Kate Felsen, former Iraqi interpreter Omar Aljaff and Ret. Army Co. Mike Jason. Also, Woodruff’s wife, Lee Woodruff, and son, cinematographer Mack Woodruff, who documented the trip to Iraq, are seen.
Others on the special include ABC News chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz.
The special will also highlight veteran philanthropic organization The Bob Woodruff Foundation and its annual Stand Up for Heroes benefit. The event will include performances from Rita Wilson, Josh Groban, Tracy Morgan, Jon Stewart and John Mellencamp, among others.
Here’s a first look at “After the Blast: The Will to Survive”:
