Brain Injuries in Iraq Put Attention on Unseen War Wounds
2020-02-04
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1Americans have been hearing more about brain injuries after an Iranian missile attack on United States forces in Iraq.
2The missiles targeted an air base were U.S. and coalition troops were deployed.
3The U.S. Defense Department reports that 50 service members were found to have suffered a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, after the attack last month.
4TBIs are not wounds like burns or cuts.
5They result from being near an explosion or a forceful strike to the body.
6TBIs appear to take a long time for doctors to diagnose.
7William Schmitz is a national commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
8He told The Associated Press, "TBI is a serious injury and one that cannot be taken lightly."
9Schmitz added that, "TBI is known to cause depression, memory loss, severe headaches," and loss of balance.
10It can also make the person feel very tired. Sometimes there are long-term effects.
11U.S. President Donald Trump was recently criticized after he dismissed news of the injuries.
12The veterans' group called on Trump to apologize for what it called his "misguided remarks."
13The missile attack took place on January eighth.
14Because the injuries take so long to appear, the Defense Department did not announce the first cases until one week after the attack.
15At the time, it said 11 people were affected.
16Military officials now say 50 service members have been diagnosed and the number could increase.
17By January 28, 31 of the 50 had returned to active duty.
18Details of the U.S. injuries have not been reported and the severity of the cases has not been made public.
19No one was killed in the attack.
20 It took place after a drone strike in Baghdad killed a top Iranian general who commanded the paramilitary Quds Force.
21TBI began to gain more attention after the U.S. military invaded Iraq in 2003 to oust President Saddam Hussein.
22After his defeat, resistance forces continued to use roadside bombs to fight U.S. and coalition forces.
23Survivors of such attacks not only suffered physical injuries, but experienced head injuries like concussions that have been linked to mental health problems.
24"For generations, battlefield traumatic brain injuries were not understood and often dismissed," notes U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.
25She is a member of the Democratic Party.
26Research has shown that the issue of TBIs remains poorly understood.
27The Defense Department has been studying brain injuries since the early 1990s.
28It established a head injury program that developed into the Defense and Veteran's Brain Injury Center.
29The center studies research findings related to TBI, such as possible links to behavioral issues, including alcohol abuse and suicide.
30In January, one study suggested that military members with serious TBI were more likely than others to experience mental health problems.
31The study was a project of University of Massachusetts Amherst health services researchers.
32Some experts are linking long-term health effects to smaller explosions that take place, for example, in artillery training and from small, hand-held rockets.
33Riyi Shi is a professor of biomedical engineering at Purdue University in Indiana.
34He says researchers are "finding that even a mild blast can cause long-term, life-changing health issues."
35A 2018 study by the federally-supported RAND Corporation found little research on the subject.
36There also appeared to be little understanding of the possible damage to the nervous system from repeatedly experiencing low-level blasts.
37The same year, a research group called the Center for a New American Security also released a study.
38It urged the Defense Department to keep records of "any soldier, in training or combat, who is likely to be in a position where he or she may be exposed to blasts."
39The group called for brain imaging tests of soldiers to better understand how explosions affect the brain.
40I'm Caty Weaver.
41And I'm Mario Ritter Jr.
1Americans have been hearing more about brain injuries after an Iranian missile attack on United States forces in Iraq. 2The missiles targeted an air base were U.S. and coalition troops were deployed. The U.S. Defense Department reports that 50 service members were found to have suffered a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, after the attack last month. 3TBIs are not wounds like burns or cuts. They result from being near an explosion or a forceful strike to the body. TBIs appear to take a long time for doctors to diagnose. 4William Schmitz is a national commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He told The Associated Press, "TBI is a serious injury and one that cannot be taken lightly." 5Schmitz added that, "TBI is known to cause depression, memory loss, severe headaches," and loss of balance. It can also make the person feel very tired. Sometimes there are long-term effects. 6U.S. President Donald Trump was recently criticized after he dismissed news of the injuries. The veterans' group called on Trump to apologize for what it called his "misguided remarks." 7Missile attack caused injuries 8The missile attack took place on January eighth. Because the injuries take so long to appear, the Defense Department did not announce the first cases until one week after the attack. At the time, it said 11 people were affected. 9Military officials now say 50 service members have been diagnosed and the number could increase. By January 28, 31 of the 50 had returned to active duty. 10Details of the U.S. injuries have not been reported and the severity of the cases has not been made public. 11No one was killed in the attack. It took place after a drone strike in Baghdad killed a top Iranian general who commanded the paramilitary Quds Force. 12The recent history of TBI 13TBI began to gain more attention after the U.S. military invaded Iraq in 2003 to oust President Saddam Hussein. After his defeat, resistance forces continued to use roadside bombs to fight U.S. and coalition forces. Survivors of such attacks not only suffered physical injuries, but experienced head injuries like concussions that have been linked to mental health problems. 14"For generations, battlefield traumatic brain injuries were not understood and often dismissed," notes U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. She is a member of the Democratic Party. 15Research has shown that the issue of TBIs remains poorly understood. The Defense Department has been studying brain injuries since the early 1990s. It established a head injury program that developed into the Defense and Veteran's Brain Injury Center. The center studies research findings related to TBI, such as possible links to behavioral issues, including alcohol abuse and suicide. 16In January, one study suggested that military members with serious TBI were more likely than others to experience mental health problems. The study was a project of University of Massachusetts Amherst health services researchers. 17Some experts are linking long-term health effects to smaller explosions that take place, for example, in artillery training and from small, hand-held rockets. 18Riyi Shi is a professor of biomedical engineering at Purdue University in Indiana. He says researchers are "finding that even a mild blast can cause long-term, life-changing health issues." 19A 2018 study by the federally-supported RAND Corporation found little research on the subject. There also appeared to be little understanding of the possible damage to the nervous system from repeatedly experiencing low-level blasts. 20The same year, a research group called the Center for a New American Security also released a study. It urged the Defense Department to keep records of "any soldier, in training or combat, who is likely to be in a position where he or she may be exposed to blasts." The group called for brain imaging tests of soldiers to better understand how explosions affect the brain. 21I'm Caty Weaver. 22And I'm Mario Ritter Jr. 23Robert Burns reported this story for AP. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 24_________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26traumatic - adj. a severe injury to body tissue 27diagnose - v. to recognize a disease or condition by examining someone 28drone - n. an unmanned aircraft or missile 29concussion - n. an injury to the brain caused by sudden force 30blast - n. a powerful explosion