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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 2012)
News Grandpa continued from page 1 thing from my mind,’’ Woll said. But then a few years ago, his son’s best friend — a guy who, as a kid, spent many days and nights at the Woll house — returned from his second tour in Iraq. He told Woll about the need for doctors and urged him to consider doing more than just support the soldiers. He suggested Woll become a solider. After the seed was planted, it wasn’t long before Woll told his family he wanted to join the reserves. “Initially, they thought I was going off the deep end,’’ Woll said. “But they’ve come around. The whole family has been support- ive.’’ Then Woll got to work. The Portland resident started training with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office to learn to handle and fire a gun. Two and a half years later, Woll is a firearms coach for the agency. Two years ago, Woll weighed 235 pounds and was “way out of shape.’’ Motivated by his desire to serve in the military, Woll start- a member of U.S. Army Reserves. In June, Woll was commissioned as a lieu- tenant colonel — a rank determined by his profession and number of years in medicine — in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps. ‘They say you win more hearts and minds with Band-Aids than you do with bullets’ — T. Scott Woll ed exercising daily and made changes to his diet. Now he’s 180 pounds and can meet and surpass all of the Army’s physical require- ments. And after two years of waivers, approvals and testing, the 58-year-old finally became He’s been assigned to the 396th combat support hospital based at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in east Vancouver. He’ll participate in monthly training with the local unit until heading to San Antonio in October for officer training. After that, Woll will be ready to be mobilized to in- country hospitals or deployed overseas. He’s requested to go overseas for medical diplomacy missions. During such missions, which last a couple of months, Woll would care for anyone who needs it — U.S. sol- diers, civilians, kids, police officers, local soldiers and insurgents. “They say you win more hearts and minds with Band-Aids than you do with bullets,’’ Woll said. Whatever the assignment, Woll hopes his skills and decades of experience as an orthopedic surgeon can help the men and women — the “true patriots’’ — serving their country. “If I can save somebody’s limbs, that’ll be rewarding enough,’’ he said. “It’s a way to give back to a country and a career that’s given me a lot.’’ th es ka ob m er nn Page 8 The Seattle Skanner August 8, 2012 . co •LOCAL NEWS •U.S. NEWS •JOBS, BIDS •ENTERTAINMENT •BULLETIN BOARD •RSS FEEDS ile Scan our QR code with your app. m MOBILE
