In a very disturbing story on the VA Watchdog.org tonight I was shocked and saddened to read about soldiers and Marines that have apparently been cheating on tests that show damage from concussions and other Traumatic brain Injuries during explosions in Iraq, the motivation? So they won't be sent home for treatment, they figure the problems will resolve themselves in Iraq, the problem is if a second explosion happens the chance of more extreme damage is increased. This appears to be on the same level of concern as admitting to having PTSD, the soldiers see it as a stigma on their careers or somehow failing their battle buddies.
Earlier in the war, Jaffee says, military physicians noticed some cheating, particularly among Marines at Camp Pendleton in California, where testing started in 2004.By cheating, he says, troops risk being "exposed to a second concussion or mild traumatic brain injury. It could have more devastating effects not only on their health, but on the mission's success, or perhaps on the safety of the people on their patrol."
About one-third of war casualties brought to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., have some form of brain injury, Army records show.
The Pentagon lists 4,471 brain-injured casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan, but the actual number is likely higher because many cases go undetected.
The most common are mild brain injuries that come from being close to an explosion from a roadside bomb, mortar round or grenade. Eighty percent of wounds in Iraq are caused by explosions, Jaffee says. Even if there are no obvious wounds, there can be a brain injury, he says.
I hope for the soldiers and Marines sake they seek treatment early for PTSD and TBI, they are risking their futures and their families.Sphere: Related Content
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