From Military.com:
“34 Troops Now Diagnosed with
Concussion, TBI Symptoms Following Iran Attack, DoD Says”
The Pentagon says that 34 service
members have been diagnosed with concussion-like or traumatic brain injury
(TBI) symptoms since the Jan. 8 Iranian ballistic missile strike on Al Asad Air
Base in Iraq. Jonathan Hoffman, Pentagon chief spokesman, said that eight
troops who were initially sent to Germany arrived Friday in the U.S. to
continue treatment; nine others are still undergoing treatment in Germany; one
was sent to Kuwait for treatment and has since returned to duty in Iraq; and 16
who were diagnosed in Iraq have now returned to duty. In total, 17 of the 34
have returned to duty. There is a "distinct possibility" that the
nine still in Germany may head to the U.S. for further treatment, he said. "We
needed to have more clarity," Hoffman said, adding that the Pentagon
wanted to get the facts straight on the troops' medical conditions. He
explained that the Defense Department has been referring to concussion and TBI
"relatively interchangeably." "The numbers have shifted as more
people have been diagnosed. [But] this is a snapshot in time of where we are
right now," he said. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has given instructions
that "anyone who comes in with symptoms, receives any and all care that
they need," Hoffman said. "We need to track that closely." Whether
the troops could receive the Purple Heart for injuries as a result of enemy
action is under review. Hoffman said it's up to the individual military
branches to make those decisions. Last week, defense officials confirmed that
11 U.S. service members were flown from Iraq to U.S. medical facilities for
additional evaluation and treatment of concussion-like symptoms. The Associated
Press was first to report Tuesday that more troops were being evaluated in
Landstuhl, Germany, for similar injuries. Air Force Maj. Gen. Alex Grynkewich,
deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve at
U.S. Central Command, this week said officials had estimated that the total
number in need of evaluation was "in the teens." According to a
Department of Veterans Affairs study, a traumatic brain injury can go
undiagnosed in its milder forms and result in issues for returning service
members ranging from "headaches, irritability, and sleep disorders to
memory problems, slower thinking, and depression." Numerous reports and
studies by the DoD and the VA have pointed to links between blast exposure and
TBI and post-traumatic stress. According to the DoD and the Defense and
Veteran's Brain Injury Center, about 22% of all combat casualties from Iraq and
Afghanistan involve brain injuries, compared with 12% of combat casualties in
Vietnam. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, President Donald
Trump on Wednesday downplayed the injuries as "headaches." "I
heard that they had headaches, and a couple of other things," he said
during a press conference. "But I would say, and I can report, that it is
not very serious."
^ I don’t like how Trump and the
Pentagon lied about the extent of the Iranian attack. If American soldiers are
wounded or killed then the American people have a right to know the truth. ^
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