Brain Injuries - a Silent Harm
“According to the Office of the Surgeon General of the Army, 64 percent of soldiers recently wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom have sustained ‘blast injury,’ which is the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries for active duty military personnel in war zones”.
(Senator Larry Craig, former Chairman and current Ranking member, Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs on September 7, 2006)
It's becoming increasingly common for service members returning from duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, to suffer some degree of traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI can be defined as a blow or jolt to the head that disrupts the function of the brain. Some of the symptoms may include headaches, memory loss, hearing loss, dizziness and excessive fatigue. Unlike a flesh wound and other obvious traumas, TBI is often not so easily detected and/or treated. It has been suggested that the brain is affected by the explosive shockwaves caused by repeated exposure to improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other blasts.
Almost 1,900 U.S. soldiers have been treated for TBI. Pentagon estimates have suggested that as many as 28 percent of the 1.4 million troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan may have sustained mild brain injury from bomb blasts. TBI is also the type of injury sustained by ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff, in addition to other life-threatening injuries.
This past March, the Pentagon announced it was spending $14 million to research blast injuries and help medics in the field better diagnose mild brain injury. And recently, in Fort Carson, Colorado, the Army began testing a new device that uses gamma rays and radioisotopes to detect brain injuries. (Incidentally, a recent study at Fort Carson estimated that 18 percent of troops who had been to Iraq -- 2,392 of 13,400 suffered at least some damage from IED blasts.)
The Senate is expected to introduce legislation on TBI in the near future. As of press time there was only a draft Senate Bill.
Some resources:
The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center maintains information about TBI and includes a links page for other pertinent resources
The President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors - public website for service members to share their stories about the continuity of care they received from the time they were hurt on the battlefield through the transition to civilian life or back to active duty service
Brain Injury Association of America - serving and representing individuals, families and professionals who are touched by a life-altering, often devastating, traumatic brain injury (TBI)
