Community | March 05, 2009 | 16 comments

Brain-injured troops may reach 360,000

source: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/03/05/brain_injured_troops_may_re...

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bansheewail
WASHINGTON - The number of US troops who have suffered wartime brain injuries may be as high as 360,000 and could cast more attention on such injuries among civilians, Defense Department doctors said yesterday.

The estimate of the number injured - the vast majority of them suffering concussions - represents 20 percent of the roughly 1.8 million men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where blast injuries are common from roadside bombs and other explosives, the doctors said.

The estimate came during a Pentagon news conference on activities planned this month to bring attention to brain injuries. The doctors said the number could be as low as 180,000, based on estimates that between 10 percent and 20 percent of troops might have such injuries.

The previous high estimate offered publicly was 320,000 in a study released a year ago by the private Rand Corp. It was based on about 1.6 million who had done tours of duty Iraq or Afghanistan from late 2001.
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16 comments // Brain-injured troops may reach 360,000

  • Cynic2
  • xixigz
  • fiat_lux088
    • 0
      fiat_lux088  

    • The article stated that the majority of the count included mild forms like a concussion, so they didn't sustain permanent brain damage. In addition, they stated that the numbers were reduced to roughly half of the amount posted. I'm not saying that this is a good thing though.

    • 3 years ago
  • masterzip
  • Solar_Wind
  • mutedmajority
  • fun_size
  • jubal
  • jubal
    • 0
      jubal  
    • mutedmajority:

      mutedmajority, I think that we should be grateful to the troops for their service, because it is a thankless job. If America was literally attacked by an invading force, I would stand up to defend her. I don't agree with preemptive war. But since they are already bamboozled by the Bush Admin, they were lied to and suckered in, it doesn't mean we should turn our back on them and treat them like just any other worker in America.

      Many of them are being killed, injured, or maimed for life. We should have compassion for them, as much as for the innocent Iraqi's caught in the crossfire.

    • 3 years ago
  • Bren589
    • 0
      Bren589  
    • mutedmajority:

      @ mutedmajority these men and women sign up for the Military because it is something they believe in , By God i would rather have them out here fighting for the rights of us then to be on the streets sellin drugs. I don't like war . I would much rather see peace in all these countries . But I am damn well not going to say anyone deserves what these poor men and women go through . maybe one day there will be peace and no one will have to fight, but untill then , there is going to be war no matter how much we are against it

    • 3 years ago
  • cerealforeal
    • 0
      cerealforeal  

    • Mission Accomplished, right Mr. Bush?

      Over a million dead, hundreds of thousands of people with mental problems, and thousands of amputees. All of that, and on top you made our world less safe and took away more of our rights.

      If the devil was real, he'd be jealous of the evil you brought upon the world.

    • 3 years ago
  • clownpuncher
  • stacey2303
  • clownpuncher
  • stacey2303
  • stacey2303
  • clownpuncher
    • 0
      clownpuncher  
    • cerealforeal:

      ok, I am watching myself, am I suppose to do a trick or something? Somebody is feeling important today I see. What about our attacks on the middle east? We are obviously hitting the right people if we haven't been attacked. Additionally the first time the WTC was attacked was 1993, did you say Bush senior was in office then? Clinton was inagurated in 1993.

    • 3 years ago
  • stacey2303
    • 0
      stacey2303  
    • cerealforeal:

      I always feel important..thank u..and Iraq isnt even where the person who even attacked our country is at?..We still have troops in Afghanistan simply to "occupy" their country..Yes they havent attacked us because we are in their backyard..The bottom line is that our soliders need to be taken out of their countries and this whole "war" mess needs to be ended..

    • 3 years ago
  • bansheewail
  • clownpuncher
  • Bren589
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