280PLUS
Member
New York Daily News
September 20, 2006
Congress Adds Insult To Vets' Brain Injuries
By Paul Rieckhoff
As a veteran of the current conflict in Iraq, I am sickened - but unfortunately not surprised - by a new development out of Washington, D.C.
Politicians in Congress are on the verge of cutting funding for the treatment of a health problem that affects more than 100,000 Iraq war vets. Yes, you read that correctly.
The condition is called traumatic brain injury (TBI). Here's the typical way U.S. soldiers in Iraq - including friends of mine - come to suffer from TBI: by barely escaping a rocket-propelled grenade attack or being a little too close when an improvised explosive device goes off near a Humvee.
In milder cases, this results in vision, hearing or speech problems, dizziness and memory loss. In more severe cases, TBI causes serious brain damage. It's becoming known as the signature wound of this war.
Why? Because one in 10 Iraq vets has sustained a concussion at some point during his or her tour of duty. This severe blow to the head jars the brain against the inside of the skull, and often leads to TBI.
The injury doesn't just affect the service member. Families bear the burden. One mother of a 23-year old Iraq vet diagnosed with TBI told me, "My son's not the same person anymore. He's got judgment problems, memory problems. I can't leave him alone in the house."
So, how does Congress respond to this growing need? It's preparing to slash funding for research and treatment of brain injuries caused by bomb blasts. The current House version of the 2007 defense appropriations bill contains just $7 million for the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center - half of what was allocated to the center last year.
How on Earth do they try to explain this unpardonable cut? A congressional spokeswoman, Jenny Manley, told USA Today, "There were just so many priorities." Defending the elected officials, she added, "They didn't have any flexibility in such a tight fiscal year."
Let's get this straight. In a bill appropriating more than $400 billion in defense spending, primarily to support a war in Iraq that has already cost hundreds of billions ofdollars, Congress can't find a fewmillion to adequately treat troops wounded with brain injuries for the rest of their lives?
Thankfully, because of a public outcry, the issue is still on the table. Any day now, a congressional committee will meet to make the final decision. It had better do the right thing and fully fund the brain injury center's original budget request of $19 million.
Americans remember how, last year, Congress and the President dropped everything to address the issues of just one brain-damaged woman: Terri Schiavo. Now, our leaders will either lift up or let down thousands of brain-damaged troops. Which will they choose?
Rieckhoff is the executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and author of "Chasing Ghosts: A Soldier's Fight from Baghdad to Washington."
September 20, 2006
Congress Adds Insult To Vets' Brain Injuries
By Paul Rieckhoff
As a veteran of the current conflict in Iraq, I am sickened - but unfortunately not surprised - by a new development out of Washington, D.C.
Politicians in Congress are on the verge of cutting funding for the treatment of a health problem that affects more than 100,000 Iraq war vets. Yes, you read that correctly.
The condition is called traumatic brain injury (TBI). Here's the typical way U.S. soldiers in Iraq - including friends of mine - come to suffer from TBI: by barely escaping a rocket-propelled grenade attack or being a little too close when an improvised explosive device goes off near a Humvee.
In milder cases, this results in vision, hearing or speech problems, dizziness and memory loss. In more severe cases, TBI causes serious brain damage. It's becoming known as the signature wound of this war.
Why? Because one in 10 Iraq vets has sustained a concussion at some point during his or her tour of duty. This severe blow to the head jars the brain against the inside of the skull, and often leads to TBI.
The injury doesn't just affect the service member. Families bear the burden. One mother of a 23-year old Iraq vet diagnosed with TBI told me, "My son's not the same person anymore. He's got judgment problems, memory problems. I can't leave him alone in the house."
So, how does Congress respond to this growing need? It's preparing to slash funding for research and treatment of brain injuries caused by bomb blasts. The current House version of the 2007 defense appropriations bill contains just $7 million for the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center - half of what was allocated to the center last year.
How on Earth do they try to explain this unpardonable cut? A congressional spokeswoman, Jenny Manley, told USA Today, "There were just so many priorities." Defending the elected officials, she added, "They didn't have any flexibility in such a tight fiscal year."
Let's get this straight. In a bill appropriating more than $400 billion in defense spending, primarily to support a war in Iraq that has already cost hundreds of billions ofdollars, Congress can't find a fewmillion to adequately treat troops wounded with brain injuries for the rest of their lives?
Thankfully, because of a public outcry, the issue is still on the table. Any day now, a congressional committee will meet to make the final decision. It had better do the right thing and fully fund the brain injury center's original budget request of $19 million.
Americans remember how, last year, Congress and the President dropped everything to address the issues of just one brain-damaged woman: Terri Schiavo. Now, our leaders will either lift up or let down thousands of brain-damaged troops. Which will they choose?
Rieckhoff is the executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and author of "Chasing Ghosts: A Soldier's Fight from Baghdad to Washington."
