In 1978, an Oxford High School senior by the name of Kurt Woods won the coveted Oxford Cup ? the school’s highest honor.
‘I was surprised when I found out,? said the 44-year-old Woods.
That high point in the young Woods? life was a sign of greater things to come, a greater man to come.
Fast forward to the present, Woods, who now lives in Toney, Alabama (a rural area 15 miles from Huntsville), retired from the United States Army in May after a distinguished 22-year career.
‘I think that service to something greater than oneself is important,? said the retired lieutenant colonel. ‘I come from a pretty traditional family and I grew up with a strong love for my country.?
His older brother, Scott Woods, retired from the army as a sergeant first class. His mother Pauline Woods still lives in Oxford on Dennison St.
After graduating from OHS, Woods attended the U.S. Military Academy West Point in New York to become an army officer.
‘I wanted to feel like I was doing something important ? something that mattered,? he said. ‘I wanted to do something that made me feel independent. I know that my mother and father would have helped me got to college, but I wanted to do something on my own.?
Woods did well at the highly competitive West Point, graduating 51st in a class of about 860 in 1982 and making the Dean’s List every semester. He credits his Oxford education with preparing him well for the challenging academic institution.
‘The most important thing that I learned from the teachers that I had at Oxford was a desire to learn,? he said. ‘I also had several teachers who really demanded that you study ? that was great prep for West Point.?
Woods recalled that Oxford Football Coach Bud Rowley had quite the impact on him back then. ‘Other than my dad, he had the biggest positive influence on me as a teenager.?
After graduating West Point, Woods was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Amry Corps of Engineers and attended two schools before his first assignment ? Engineer Officer Basic Course and the U.S. Army Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Of the latter, Woods said, ‘Making it through that school is still the hardest thing that I have ever done.?
Woods? first assignment was at Fort Hood, Texas, where he served in several leadership positions, starting as a platoon leader with 30 combat engineer soldiers under his command.
‘I was 22 years old and had a few noncommissioned officers (under my command) who had been in the army almost as long as I had been alive,? he said. ‘It was pretty intimidating, but great preparation for the rest of my career.?
Before leaving Fort Hood, Woods was promoted to captain.
Woods next assignment took him to Hanua, Germany where he served as Company Commander, Company C, 23rd Engineer Battalion, 3rd Armored Division.
‘I probably enjoyed that assignment more than any other,? he said. ‘I had about 165 soldiers in that company and about $4 million worth of equipment for which I was responsible. I had just turned 26.?
As if that wasn’t enough responsibility, all this was taking place during a critical point in the Cold War.
‘It was 1986 and it was a very serious time in Europe,? Woods said. ‘President (Ronald) Reagan was confronting the Soviets and we took our role in preparing to defend against a Soviet attack very seriously. My job was to train those soldiers and to ensure that we were ready to go to war. We primarily practiced building obstacles and laying mine fields to help stop a Soviet attack that we all thought was going to come.?
But that Soviet attack never came. Instead, the Berlin Wall came tumbling down in November 1989 and with it the beginning of the end of the Cold War, the Eastern Bloc and finally the Soviet Union itself.
‘The world had turned upside down,? Woods said. ‘I was on a five-day holiday in the northern German city of Lubeck, when it was overrun by East German civilians getting their first taste of the western world. It was amazing to see their reaction to the luxury of West Germany and touching to see the way that they were greeted by their West German neighbors.?
Woods left Germany in 1990 and was assigned to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. Fort Irwin is located in the Mojave Desert, a few miles south of Death Valley.
‘My job there was to help train units from all over the United States who would rotate to Fort Irwin and conduct realistic training in the harsh desert environment,? he said. ‘I am proud to have served there and in knowing that I have had a small role in getting our soldiers and Army prepared for whatever they have had to face.?
Woods left Fort Irwin in 1992 and spent the next four years at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, home of the U.S. Army Engineer School. There he served as an instructor for three years and was promoted to major. In 1995, he assumed the position of Operations Officer for the 5th Combat Engineer Battalion at Fort Leonard Wood. He was responsible for training about 500 combat engineer soldiers.
During this period, Woods met his wife Roberta Jean Woods, at the time an engineer captain in another unit. The couple was married June 13, 1996 in Oxford.
‘We drove from Missouri to Michigan so that my family could share the wedding with us,? he said.
Woods left Fort Leonard Wood in 1997 for Colorado Springs, Colorado where he was assigned as the Chief of an Army Space Support Team at the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command.
‘This began a new path in my career,? he said. ‘An Army Space Support Team provides space-based products (satellite imagery, satellite communications, etc.) to other tactical units.?
Following that assignment, Woods travelled to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to serve in the Battle Command Training Program for two years. ‘It was similar to the National Training Center, except that we travelled to the units to do training (Korea, Germany, and all over the U.S.) and now the training was for generals and their staffs.?
Woods then spent a year as an instructor in the Command and General Staff College teaching Space Operations. ‘I had decided to retire during this assignment and submitted my retirement request in the summer of 2001,? he said.
But of course of world events had a different plan for Woods following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington D.C.
‘Shortly after 9/11 I received a call asking me if I would be willing to stay in the Army for a while longer and accept an assignment to the Space and Missile Defense Command in Huntsville, Alabama,? he said.
Woods agreed. His wife and he had already decided to retire together to the Huntsville area and ‘the opportunity to serve in my future home area was a good deal for me and the Army.?
He spent the last two years of his career ‘working primarily on experiments focused on the design of the Army’s future force.?
‘I was a Space Operations Officer and we explored how to get information from and through satellites to Army ground forces,? he said. ‘We worked with other organizations across the Army trying to ensure that America’s future army will have the best doctrine, organizations and equipment possible.?
In his retirement, Woods works for a military contractor supporting the Space and Missile Defense Command.
‘I went to work the day after I retired from the Army,? he said.
In looking back over his army career, Woods said he’s ‘proud of what our Army is and has been ? and I say our Army because it belongs to all Americans.?
‘The Army serves this country. I hope your readers will understand that whatever they think of the war or the current administration, the young people who make up their Army are serving America. The overwhelming majority are hard-working, decent and devoted to doing what is right.
‘I remember with pride telling my soldiers in Germany that when they saw a German protesting against the U.S. Army, they should remember that they were the ones who made it possible for him to do so. I still believe that it is because of the U.S. Army that so many around the world are able to speak their opinions during the day and sleep secure in their beds at night.?
When asked what’s been his favorite part of army life, Woods replied, ‘It has been like another family. I have friends who I haven’t seen for years, but who would welcome me into their home in a minute if I showed up at their door. And because we all move around a lot, it is rare to go anywhere in the world and not run into someone that you’ve served with before.?
Woods said he would ‘absolutely? recommend army life to any Oxford High School students who may read this story.
‘I strongly advocate that any young person explore their options for serving others whether in the Army, the Peace Corps, working for a charitable or religious organization, or in some other way,? he said. ‘The Army is not for everyone, but for many, it offers an opportunity to learn a technical skill, get money for college, or see the country or the world. More importantly, it teaches two things that are invaluable in any life situation ? discipline and leadership.?
Of the many things the Army taught Woods over his 22-year career, there was one lesson that was instilled from birth.
‘My mother and father (Mark) taught me something that I didn’t have to learn at West Point, and which carried me through all of my years in the service,? he said. ? ‘Duty, Honor, Country? is the motto of West Point, but I learned it before I ever left home.?