He was severely injured by an IED explosion during a reporting trip to Iraq that January, and he recovered over an extended period before returning to air.

[5] In 1989, while Woodruff was teaching law in Beijing, China, CBS News hired him as an on-screen interpreter during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

[8] Woodruff had traveled with an ABC News team to Israel to report on the aftermath of the 2006 Palestinian elections, and then via Amman, Jordan to Baghdad, so that he could meet with troops before President George W. Bush's State of the Union address for 2006.

[10] Tom Brokaw reported on the Today show that Woodruff had a portion of his skull removed during surgery to reduce the damage from brain swelling.

Woodruff was kept in a medically induced coma for 36 days to assist his recovery, and ABC News temporarily assigned Good Morning America anchors Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer to alternate duties on the evening newscast as co-anchors with Vargas.

[13] As of March 7, 2006, Woodruff's brother reported that the ABC anchor was beginning to walk, recognize friends and family, and speak in several languages.

[14] Woodruff was transferred on March 16, 2006, to a medical facility closer to his home in Westchester County, New York, a sign of "continued progress in all respects", ABC News President, David Westin, wrote in an email to staffers.

On April 6, 2006, ABC News released photos of Woodruff recovering at home, with a letter thanking everyone for their support and kindness during his ongoing recovery.

[15] On May 23, 2006, Vargas announced her resignation from WNT, citing her doctors' recommendation to cut back her schedule considerably due to her upcoming maternity leave and her wish to spend more time with her new baby.

The hour-long documentary To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports explored the consequences of traumatic brain injury and highlighted the difficulties brain injured veterans face finding treatment—a subject that had first appeared in Discover magazine several weeks earlier,[18] and was elaborated on by The Washington Post reporters in the exposé "Painting Over the Problems at Walter Reed's Building 18".

The Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) is a nonprofit that supports post-9/11 impacted service members, veterans, and their families after they return home.