Traumatic Brain Injuries Rising Among U.S. Military Personnel
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has emerged as the primary injury affecting American military personnel involved in the ongoing conflict with Iran.
According to Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, the majority of service members injured during Operation Epic Fury have suffered from TBIs. Reports indicate that around 200 soldiers were hurt in this nearly three-week-long combat, with approximately 180 returning to duty, while 10 faced severe injuries. It’s worth noting that diagnosing TBI right after an event can be problematic, as symptoms may not appear for several weeks.
Officials have stated that at least 140 of the injured soldiers experienced TBIs. This increase has been attributed to Iran’s use of one-way attack drones, which create intense explosions, impacting bases in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.
Dr. Jayna Mosseri Brooks, an expert in combat-related brain injuries, mentioned that being near an explosion almost guarantees a traumatic brain injury. She emphasized that the overwhelming pressure from explosive blasts leaves little room for escape, and the resulting symptoms can be incredibly debilitating.
Veterans with a TBI are almost twice as likely to commit suicide compared to those without such injuries, based on data from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
On March 1, an Iranian drone strike on a tactical operations center in Kuwait’s Shuaiba port reportedly resulted in the deaths of six service members and left many others with brain trauma, shrapnel injuries, and burns. By mid-March, around 30 soldiers remained hospitalized across various facilities in Germany, Washington, D.C., and San Antonio.
Furthermore, between 2001 and 2023, over 460,000 service members were diagnosed with a TBI, as reported by ABC News referencing the Department of Veterans Affairs. Notably, the Army did not start awarding Purple Hearts for brain injuries until 2011, almost ten years after the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan commenced.
