Since our soldiers left to go to war in Iraqi two years ago, we have encountered thousands of soldiers coming back from Iraq suffering from Traumatic Brain Injuries. 

The Department of Defense reports that more than 1,500 United States soldiers have died in Iraq and more than 11-thousand American troops were wounded in this war. My heart hangs heavy as I hear about all the devastating stories about these young men who come back wounded and their lives set on hold due to the long recovery period they need to get their life back on track.  Many soldiers unfortunately do not recover completely. 

 

Our defense is creating new weapons and means of protection to help keep our brave boys alive each day.  However, the real quest of this dangerous mission is the problem the problem that lies ahead. “Does the military have they devised a plan, or a psychological pill, or even a magical pill to protect and cure our soldiers from traumatic brain injuries (TBI)?”

 

They have new body protective coverings and better emergency medical techniques to keep soldiers alive.  Nevertheless, “do they have anything to protect certain fragile parts of the skull when these brave men and women go in to war for protect our countries?”

 

Most solders take 18 to 24 months to recover from a traumatic brain injury. The severity of the injury determines how much function can be regained, so the solders can lead a happy and productive life once again.

 

Recovery for traumatic brain injuries is a slow process because people’s brain cells are different from the other parts of the human body. In other parts of the body, healing is achieved by replacement cells.   For example, when you fall or get a cut on your finger the cut is healed in a few days.  You have an open wound, then a scab, and then the cut heals itself and disappears.  If only TBI was that simple.

 

The brain heals differently from the rest of the body. The brain is different from the rest of the body because the brain is the only place we store all the knowledge we gain over the years to help us function mentally and developmentally. 

 

Over the past three years, 440 U.S. troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have been treated for traumatic brain injuries; but many people in the medical community believe that many veterans with less severe brain damage are not getting the medical attention they need.

 

Some people who suffer TBI can easily be diagnosed because doctors see the gaping hole in the soldier’s skull using today’s medical technology.  However, for others, the diagnosis is not so obvious. These are people, who suffer from TBI, but they do not have severe cases, but they still suffer from TBI.

 

Just being near a blast can shock someone’s brain. Since there are no outward signs of injury, the soldiers are often unaware that their brain has suffered physical trauma. The soldier looks perfectly okay. They sound the same; they look the same, so others think there is no injury.

 

What happens is they simply think more slowly, they have memory lapses, and they do not read the emotional signs from their partners very well. They appear to have changes in empathy.

 

What happens too often is that soldiers who complain of irritability or changes in concentration are treated for psychiatric problems, rather than neurological issues.

The department of defense and our political leaders need to take TBI more seriously.  They need to realize that the number of veterans with TBI is larger than they want to admit.  They need to screen all the U.S. military soldiers that come home from war.  They need to be screened for signs of brain trauma before they return to civilian life.

 

Society needs to open their eyes and their mouths.  You need to be an advocate and fight for what is right.  We need to enforce a system where soldiers are going to receive complete medical attention, so they are not left out in the cold. 

 

If society paid just a fraction of the attention to the soldiers as they do to the celebrates in Hollywood then the soldiers would be well taken care of for sure.

 

Not to get off the subject, but here is something to think about too.

 

There is one part of the soldier’s brain cannot be protected.  It is the part of the brain that is permanently harmed forever.  This part of the soldiers mind is damaged mentally from the war.  The mental trauma of the war. 

 

Remember, they are only humans.  How much stress and anguish can one-person experience before they break down mentally?  I am betting money that every single soldier that comes back experiences mental trauma, but the problem is not everyone deals with trauma well.   These soldiers need special attention more than what we are giving them.  So speak up America.  Help our soldiers.  It is time to give back what they have given to us.