Here’s an interesting article about wounded soldiers and the impact they will have on society. Many comparisons are being made to the Vietnam conflict vs. Iraq.

WASHINGTON — Advancements in battlefield surgery, air transport and body armor have saved the lives of thousands of American servicemen and women wounded in Iraq.

But as waves of injured soldiers — many of them disabled for life — return home, veterans and military sources say the public will soon realize the breadth and scope of the American sacrifice in this war.

“I think the human cost of this war has been largely out of sight,” said Paul Rieckoff, an Iraq war veteran and director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

“It is a very violent war and I think the severity of injuries is something that people don’t really have an understanding of,” he said. “We’re not just talking about flesh wounds; we’re talking about amputation, blindness, traumatic brain injury. People living who would have died.”

I think Americans are well aware of the advances in medical care that enable the wounded to survive and live. I agree that people have no idea of what this “living” will entail though. It’s not like the days of Vietnam where we saw veterans in wheelchairs with one leg or arm. It’s very different. Now we see vets with a prosthetic leg- running. Or a vet with a robot arm, driving. Blind vets using modern computers that are voice and motion and satellite activated (that enable them to drive a car!). We don’t see the truly traumatic brain injuries though. That’s a whole different thing.

Statistics from the Vietnam war show that 153,303 service personnel were seriously wounded. In that conflict, that’s roughly one soldier killed for every 2.6 wounded. In Iraq, it’s one soldier killed for every 16 wounded.

Rick Weidman, head of policy and government affairs for Vietnam Veterans of America, said thousands of the seriously injured men and women in Iraq would have never left the battlefield alive a generation ago.

“I’ve had this happen — where you know the guy is dying and you can’t do anything about it. They are saving those kids today,” said Weidman, who served as a medic in Vietnam.

Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said in an interview that the medical story of the war is a mixed bag: the injuries are in some cases severe and problematic, but more lives have been saved than in any other American conflict and the majority of the injured are able to return to productive lives if not back to military service in some capacity.

The education and training of battle field medics has saved the lives of so many. Then, once brought to military trauma units, again the knowledge of the doctors, their skills, keep these soldiers alive. I think Americans understand this part- the advances in medical care are keeping people alive and sometimes ethical battles pop up about the quality of life for those left living…some question whether they would rather be dead.

Thousands of lives are being saved, but a sobering consequence is that that back home, military and veterans hospitals, which now incorporate new polytrauma rehabilitation centers established to respond to the most severe brain and spinal injuries, are handling an increasing number of life-altering injuries for vets.

“There are some unique cases coming out of this war because of the nature of it,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. “The IED, the improvised explosive device, is the main ordnance of the enemy, and they cause these tremendous blasts. They cause a multiplicity of injury that in all previous wars would have ended in fatalities.”

Sources in the Veterans Affairs Department and military health care system say that traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are the most frequent causes of battle deaths and disability today.

The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, a network of eight hospitals and health care facilities throughout the country, treated 1,529 TBI cases from January 2003 to Sept. 30, 2006.

But advocates say the number of TBI is much larger and elusive and could affect anywhere from 10 percent to 20 percent of wounded men and women — many of whom suffered non-life threatening concussions from IED blasts or vehicle crashes.

The term POLYTRAUMA is new to the military but it’s essence has been around for a long time. It’s also known as rehabilitation medicine. It’s an art all into itself…and requires a lot of skill and the medical team must be aware of every aspect of their duties- in order to see success through the patients eyes. Traumatic brain injuries are really the worse thing that can happen to a person. I’ve worked in this field for 15 years now and it’s very difficult to watch what happens to a human being when they lose their humanity.

“Those concussions, not even just the shrapnel, are causing the wiring of the brain to mess up,” said Sgt. Patrick Campbell, who served as an Army medic in Iraq. “It’s like taking an expensive piece of stereo equipment and bashing it against the wall and expecting it to work the same way.”

Effects from TBI can range from mild — causing symptoms of forgetfulness — to severe — the point of profound physical and mental disabilities. Campbell, who now serves in the Army National Guard, is pushing for legislation on behalf of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America that would require detailed screening for TBI in hopes that veterans can get the assistance they need now before symptoms affect their lives down the line.

“We just don’t know how big the problem is,” he said.

I think this is a bit of hyperbole. People with brain injuries always present, at an early stage- symptoms that would warrant a full medical evaluation. Screening isn’t needed for this. Perhaps for mental issues such as depression…but not actual physical injury.
Even the most mild symptoms would cause concern for loved ones and friends of the wounded. The profound disabilities speak for themselves: Lack of ability to walk and talk…heck- many cannot breathe on their own never mind take care of their personal needs. These things might hold some shock value for Americans: Knowing many of their soldiers have half their head gone; knowing that many are in a lifelong battle of some stage of coma; knowing that these men and women will forever require intense nursing care just to stay alive. Many will live on ventilators and C Pap machines; many will always be fed through a G Tube; many will require machines to move them out of their beds…

Some live in a coma state for years and longer; others wake up and are not the same person they once were. All will have memory impairments; all will live with some sort of disability. This doesn’t make them any less human though nor does it hinder their ability to work and bring up a family. With the right supports, brain injured people can lead successful productive lives. Depending upon what part of the brain is injured will have a lot to do about recovery…and yes, it’s very expensive. America will absorb these costs because we have to and because it’s the right thing to do. It doesn’t happen overnight either. We’re talking YEARS, 5,6 maybe 10…

Americans aren’t a patient people. So we have to remember those who gave it all, as well as those who gave it all and lived to not tell us about it. Because they cannot tell us. Like the elderly and disabled people of our country, we have a moral and ethical obligation to meet the needs of these people. Medical, nursing and all other needs. It’s not cheap. It’s not always successful either…but we have to keep trying and I think we’ve been pretty good at this.