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Roy A. Wood
Sgt. (Dr.) Roy Alvin Wood, 47, of Ft. Myers was assigned to Company C, 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Wood was killed when the vehicle he was traveling in near Kabul struck another vehicle. He is the first soldier from the Florida National Guard killed during operations in Afghanistan. Wood's unit deployed to Afghanistan from its mobilization station at Fort Bragg, N.C., in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and is currently performing direct actions, special reconnaissance, unconventional warfare and foreign internal defense (advising local Afghan forces). Wood received a commission as 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army Reserve and was first assigned to the Army Reserve's 421st Quartermaster Company (Light Airdrop Supply), based in Fort Valley, Ga. Most of Wood's career involved special operations, including command of various companies and detachments. He joined the Florida Army National Guard in April 2002. He served as surgeon with the 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group until December 2002. He resigned his rank of Major to become a medical sergeant when the unit deployed in July 2003. He deployed as a medical sergeant with Detachment 2092, Company C, 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group. At the time of his death, Wood was pending appointment as a Special Forces warrant officer which would have enabled him to serve his as his team's assistant detachment commander. He left his civilian career as an emergency room physician with Lee Memorial Hospital, Ft. Myers, Fla., where he had worked since March 2000. He previously served as an emergency physician in North Carolina, Georgia and various locations in Florida. Wood's military awards and decorations include Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Achievement Medal with silver hour glass device, National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Basic Airborne Badge, Parachute Rigger Badge, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, and Joint Meritorious Unit Emblem. Wood's key military education includes the U.S. Army Ranger Course, Infantry Officer Advanced Course, Special Forces Detachment Officer qualification course, Advanced Airborne Course, and Quartermaster Officer Basic Course. Wood graduated from Dixie County High School in Cross City, Fla. He received a bachelor's degree in biology from Mercer University in Macon, Ga. and a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, Fla. He completed medical internship at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, a medical residency at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital, and was board certified as an emergency medicine physician by the American Board of Emergency Physicians. Wood was involved in the community as a Master Mason, National Sojourner, Heroes of '76 and ARABA Shrine Temple. The family released the following statement: "There are no words to describe the loss we have experienced. Roy was a great father, husband, soldier and friend. He deeply loved his wife and two children. He was one of those rare people in life who truly has a passion for what they do. He had a calling and that calling was to help other people. Whether working as a Special Forces medic in Afghanistan or as a civilian doctor in Fort Myers, Roy was a dedicated person. He was a true patriot and soldier who loved working with the men in his Special Forces team. In fact, last year he resigned as a Major and became a sergeant in order to continue working as a Special Forces medic. As a doctor he not only touched the lives of his patients but his coworkers too. He believed in what the United States was doing in Afghanistan. So much in fact that on his own time he helped build a clinic in Afghanistan for people he would never meet. He was that type of person - he cared. We love him and he will truly be missed."
This site was last updated 12/19/06 |
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