A Forthcoming MemoirIn Development
Beyond the Call
A Memoir of Navy, CIA, and a Life of Service
By Bruce L. Woodyard, Commander, USN (Ret.): twenty-two years as a Navy helicopter pilot, then twenty years with the Central Intelligence Agency.
byBruce L. Woodyard
His Journey · In His Own Words
“While the train experience was great, what I really wanted to do was to fly.”
Read his journey-
Chapter I · A railroad family in Red Oak
Roots
Both of his parents grew up in poor farm families in the Midwest during the 1920s and 1930s. His father spent over 40 years on the railroad.
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Chapter II · Model airplanes and an uncle who flew
The Dream of Flight
“While the train experience was great, what I really wanted to do was to fly.”
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Chapter III · The word N A V Y overhead
Stanton, 1966
A seven-year-old in an open pasture, and a big silver aircraft flying low enough to wave to the crew.
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Chapter IV · From a B-52 cockpit to STRATCOM
Full Circle
A high-school visit to Offutt Air Force Base, and decades later, his last assignment on that same base.
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Chapter V · Past the horizon
The Old Globe
A boy spinning an out-of-date globe, wondering what the countries on it were like. Fifty-plus countries later, he found out.
The Book
Beyond the Call
A Memoir of Navy, CIA, and a Life of Service
A forthcoming memoir drawing on his years of service in the United States Navy and later with the Central Intelligence Agency. Currently in development.
From the Logbook
Key entries.
| No. | Station | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Red Oak, Iowa | Born to working-class parents who grew up during the Great Depression and WWII. |
| 07 | Cold War | Helicopter pilot, hunting Soviet submarines. |
| 08 | Desert Storm | Combat missions. |
| 10 | September 11, 2001 | Navy career culminates in responding to the attacks. |
| 11 | Central Intelligence Agency | Analyst and manager: Middle East, counterterrorism, arms proliferation, narcotics trafficking. |
Connect with the Author
Have a question for Bruce?
Readers’ questions about military and intelligence careers, life overseas, and the writing of the book may be answered in the Journal.