On the Chris Matthews Show this morning, Time magazine Managing
Editor Richard Stengel discussed a new Pentagon report that
says “1 in 5 American servicemen and women who have
been in Iraq are coming back with brain injuries.” Stengel
called it the “real toll” of the war, adding that
“the legacy of that will last all of our lifetimes and
it’s incalculable.”
In total, according to Stengel, “more than 250,000
people” are affected by “mild traumatic brain
injuries” sustained in Iraq. Watch it:
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According to the Pentagon, some of the soldiers who sustained
concussions “do not realize they need treatment.”
Additionally, they may be sent back to the war zone:
The task force praised work done at Fort Carson,
Colo., where soldiers going back to war are screened for brain
injury. Surveys there found that about 17 percent of the soldiers
returning to war could have a traumatic brain injury.
As recently as 2006, the Pentagon was “refusing to
release data on how many soldiers have suffered brain injuries
in Iraq and Afghanistan,” arguing that “disclosing
the results would put the lives of those fighting at risk.”
At that time, it was estimated that just 10 percent of combat
troops suffered concussions during their tours of duty. Now,
in 2008, it’s estimated closer to 20 percent.
