Bob Woodruff

Journalist

Virtually an unknown commodity when he took over as co-anchor of ABC's "World News Tonight," Bob Woodruff had been a foreign correspondent for the second place nightly news program for years. Despite plenty of air time during major news stories, audiences were hard-pressed to put a name to a face when he and former "20/20" host Elizabeth Vargas began delivering the nightly news in January 2006, following the death of longtime anchor Peter Jennings from lung cancer in August 2005. More at home abroad than in a New York studio, Woodruff wanted to step out from behind the anchor desk to report from all corners of the globe, particularly from the Middle East and the war in Iraq. Despite the danger, he nonetheless enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity to report on stories firsthand. Unfortunately, less than a month after assuming his prestigious new post, Woodruff was seriously injured in a bombing attack in Iraq.