EC grad joining military to pursue dream
Wood signs up with Army to continue studies for PT degree
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com

L-N Photo by Shannon Crabtree Army Oath With a raised right hand and a sworn oath, Samantha Wood of El Campo joined the U.S. Army last week. Wood will report for duty in September at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. With officer training, she will then become a Second Lieutenant studying physical therapy.

The promise of one of the best physical therapy schools in the nation had one El Campo High School graduate taking the U.S. Army's entrance oath last week.

A seven-year commitment was well worth the Baylor University instruction, said Samantha Wood, 22, of El Campo. A 2003 ECHS grad, she recently completed a degree in exercise science at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn.

She was sworn into the active duty Army last Wednesday at the Roy P. Benavidez National Guard Armory by Capts. Jaime Gonzalez and Luis Rocha.

When Wood reports for duty in September, she will be assigned to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. There she will undergo an abbreviated four-week version of Officer's Candidate School making Wood a Second Lieutenant.

Her PT training, which is expected to last three years, will be at Fort Sam Houston as well.

"I found the program online," Wood said. "It's a top notch school and I'm looking forward to being able to serve."

For Wood, high grades allowed her the luxury of choosing which advanced school would be preferable.

She had been accepted at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston for the PT program.

She chose the Army instead.

With a focus on rehabilitation, the training - which in the military could be put to use helping wounded soldiers recover - has plenty of civilian applications as well.

Sports medicine may be in her future, Wood said, adding the Army experience would likely look good on her resume.

The Army's Baylor PT program is considered to be in the top five in the nation, Gonzalez said.

Facing Army life isn't a big concern, Wood said.

"I don't mind it. My step-dad was in the National Guard. I've been around it my whole life," Wood said.

Wood is the daughter of Carol Hays. Her step-father is Bobby Hays of El Campo. Her father is Michael Wood.