my ltte printed today re:denying Purple Hearts to Troops with TBI.

[w8liftinglady]

http://www.thedailylight.com/articles/2010/09/10/opinion/doc4c8a6383aa101101309792.txt

LETTER: ‘For our troops’
Published: Friday, September 10, 2010 12:06 PM CDT
To the Editor,

As we enter our 10th year in Iraq and Afghanistan, more support from a “grateful nation” towards our troops has become apparent. A recent investigative report by NPR revealed that soldiers with “mild” traumatic brain injury are being routinely refused the Purple Heart-one of the few signs of acceptance for their sacrifice that these troops get. Unfortunately, this is not a new phenomena.

Soldiers have been suffering from traumatic brain injuries since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. These injuries are usually caused by improvised explosive devices(IEDs) which frequently cause temporary loss of consciousness and confusion. Externally, the soldier may look normal, but internally permanent damage has been done to the brain. As there is no mechanism for diagnosis of these injuries in the field, they often go undiagnosed. Add that to the soldier’s reluctance to leave his buddies, a commanding officer’s reluctance to leave his squad short by evacuating these soldiers, and a brass’ refusal to recognize these injuries as the signature wound of this war, and one begins to realize the seriousness of this condition. The “official” number of TBIs is 90,000-but the actual number is probably many thousand more troops suffering with this injury.

The troops suffer from many post-injury complications ��” personality changes, inability to retain information, forgetting words and names, seizures, headaches and other cognitive disorders. These, in combination with the PTSD that frequently accompanies these injuries, interfere with the soldier’s family, livelihood, and ��” more frequently than the military admits ��” their lives. Refusal to administer the Purple Heart is one more slap from those they have served-and further denial of their meritorious service.

Most veterans groups are actively trying to have this omission repaired. Neurologists and neuropsychologists who have cared for active-duty soldiers and veterans have been insistent that these injuries be recognized as injuries that qualify for Purple Heart recognition. Paul Sullivan, who heads Veterans for Common Sense, stated “What I’m afraid of is that the military intentionally is concealing casualties in order to conceal the enormous human costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan war.”

As a grateful nation,we must also do what we can to help. We must first contact our representatives and insist they act on their military constituents’ behalves. There are also several organizations that assist active duty and veteran soldiers. The Wounded Warrior Project focuses on brain injuries as well as other war injuries with many resources for troops and their families. (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/) as well as The Rural Assistance Center,which will help veterans in outlying areas (http://www.raconline.org/info_guides/veterans/veteransf...)

Until our troops are home safely, it is our duty to support them.They, after all, are the ones making the sacrifice.

[w8liftinglady]

1. an addendum...three parents emailed me with thanks

I'm glad the locals are starting to see things for what they are.