Iran war renews concerns about the lasting toll of traumatic brain injuries to US troops
Nearly 700 troops were wounded by drone and missile attacks, and most were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries, officials said.
- Nearly 700 U.S. service members have been wounded by drone and missile attacks during the Iran war, with most suffering traumatic brain injuries. Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin pressed the military Wednesday to release investigation findings regarding care delays.
- Troops face a new type of warfare with Iran where drones may explode closer to their heads, unlike the ground-level roadside bombs common in Iraq and Afghanistan. This shift explains the increased frequency of concussive injuries.
- More than 500,000 service members were diagnosed with TBIs between 2000 and 2025, with 82% considered mild. The Pentagon's chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, last month called recent injuries "minor concussions," despite medical experts warning of unpredictable, lasting effects.
- Veterans Joe Shearer and Frank Sonntag illustrate the delayed nature of these injuries, experiencing migraines and memory loss years after combat. Shearer linked his own 2005 injuries to a diagnosis that only arrived recently.
- Repeated blows increase the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative brain disease linked to deaths in sports. Dr. David Okonkwo, a University of Pittsburgh brain trauma specialist, stressed that recovery before returning to risky activities is imperative.
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Doctors have no way of predicting who will suffer lasting problems, a question so perplexing that there is a debate in the medical community about whether the term “minor TBI” should be abandoned. Repeated blows are known to increase the likelihood of persistent problems, including a degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). It has gained notoriety for its link to the deaths of former NFL players and athletes in o…
The Korea Times
Times of IndiaIran war renews concerns about lasting toll of traumatic brain injuries to US troops
WASHINGTON — When Joe Shearer was a Marine fighting in Iraq, a blast from an enemy mortar round knocked him down and made him vomit. He got up and...
The Associated Press reported that nearly 700 American soldiers have been injured in Iranian drone and missile attacks on their bases in the Middle East and other conflicts.
Iran war leaves US troops battling traumatic brain injuries
Washington: When Joe Shearer was a Marine fighting in Iraq, a blast from an enemy mortar round knocked him down and made him vomit. He got up and kept going despite a searing headache. When a roadside bomb struck his Humvee convoy months later, the explosion’s shock wave swept through his body before headaches and sleeplessness set in for days. “As long as you got back up and could go back on patrol, that’s kind of what you did,” he said. Sheare…
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