The Boot Camp of the West Virginia Hills
Dr. Norman Wood started his career in 1977 as a trooper in the 31st cadet class. Stationed at the Philippi detachment, he spent years as a “foot soldier” investigating everything from robberies to fatal accidents. During this time, he developed the grit and psychological profile that would eventually catch the eye of federal recruiters looking for agents who could handle the isolation of deep undercover work. Wood describes this period as one of the finest times in his life, where he built bonds with his fellow troopers that remain strong decades later.
“The cops in any department, whether state police, sheriff department, city, doesn’t make any difference, they do the leg work. You know they are the ground soldiers. They are the foot soldiers. They are out there collecting the evidence.”
Deep Undercover and 56 Tons of Narcotics
Wood was eventually recruited into federal government service where he operated under the name Tony Davis. His most legendary case involved a massive Russian operation called Red Sword that aimed to smuggle drugs into San Francisco to fund a military coup in the USSR. The operation culminated in a high speed pursuit through San Francisco and the largest drug seizure in history. Wood and a team of Coast Guard officers discovered 56 tons of hashish and marijuana hidden inside a barge that was specifically designed to look like it was full of fuel.
“I mean that was my life. I lied to everybody every day about everything. And that was my life. That was my life for a long time.”
From Special Agent to Community Healer
After leaving his life of aliases behind, Wood returned to West Virginia to attend medical school. Today, he uses his unique perspective as both a former investigator and a doctor to advocate for a new approach to the opioid crisis. He argues that prisons are currently failing because they do not allow the brain enough time to medically recover from the effects of narcotics. Instead of building more jail cells, Wood believes the state should invest in maximum security hospitals that provide the long term care necessary for true rehabilitation.
“We have to have the time and the abstinence for the brain to heal. If that brain does not heal, it takes 15 weeks just to begin to start to heal. Then it takes another year and a half.”
Want to hear the full story? Ready to hear the full account of how a boy from Moundsville took on the KGB and lived to tell the tale? You can hear all the details about the sting operations, the car chases, and the medical mission in the original video.
