Forty-two years of service

Two careers, presented as they happened: twenty-two years in the United States Navy, followed by twenty years with the Central Intelligence Agency.

Part One · United States Navy · 22 Years

Helicopter Pilot

Following officer training and flight school, he spent over 20 years as a helicopter pilot.

Aircraft shown as it appears on the cover of Beyond the Call

Cold War
Anti-submarine operations
Hunting Soviet submarines during Cold War operations.
Combat
Desert Storm & beyond
Combat missions in Desert Storm, and service in multiple conflict zones.
Leadership
Instructor & policy
Training and mentoring others, and influencing national security policy.
September 11, 2001
The final chapter in uniform
His Navy career culminated in responding to Al Qaeda’s terrorist attacks. Retired as Commander.

Part Two · Central Intelligence Agency · 20 Years

After retiring from the Navy he transitioned into a second 20-year career with the CIA.

Final role

Senior advisor to top military commanders

The Complete Logbook

The complete career logbook of Bruce L. Woodyard
No.	Station	Remarks
01	Red Oak, Iowa	Born to working-class parents who grew up during the Great Depression and WWII.
02	Stanton, Iowa · 1966	Age seven: a low-flying aircraft marked N A V Y passes overhead.
03	Offutt AFB	As a teenager, climbs into the pilot’s seat of a B-52 on display.
04	Junior college	Graduated, and set out to pursue his dream of flying.
05	Central Missouri State	Aviation technology. Accepted into the Navy Aviation Reserve Officer Candidate program.
06	Officer training	Officer training, then flight school.
07	Cold War	Helicopter pilot, hunting Soviet submarines.
08	Desert Storm	Combat missions.
09	Instructor & policy	Training and mentoring others; influencing national security policy.
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.
12	Senior advisor	Completed his career advising top military commanders.
13	U.S. Strategic Command	Last assignment, at Offutt AFB: the career comes full circle.
14	Papillion, Nebraska	Home, a few miles from that same base. 50+ countries visited.

Education

Published Work

Author of numerous analytic, research, and academic papers, including:

The US Aircraft Carrier Industrial BaseRAND Corporation · 1998
A Naval Concepts-Based Vision for SpaceU.S. Naval Institute Proceedings · January 1999