Pentagon Leaves 20,000 Soldiers With Brain Injuries Off Official Wounded List
By Logan Murphy Friday Nov 23, 2007 12:53pm
Via USA Today:
At least 20,000 U.S. troops who were not classified as wounded during combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have been found with signs of brain injuries, according to military and veterans records compiled by USA TODAY.
The data, provided by the Army, Navy and Department of Veterans Affairs, show that about five times as many troops sustained brain trauma as the 4,471 officially listed by the Pentagon through Sept. 30. These cases also are not reflected in the Pentagon's official tally of wounded, which stands at 30,327.
Soldiers and Marines whose wounds were discovered after they left Iraq are not added to the official casualty list, says Army Col. Robert Labutta, a neurologist and brain injury consultant for the Pentagon.
More than 150,000 troops may have suffered head injuries in combat, says Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., founder of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force. Read on...
Hiding the true human cost of their wars has proven difficult for the Bush administration. They don't want the world to know about the real numbers of injured -- or the staggering number of homeless vets or those who have killed themselves during or after their service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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1st
Not to mention the untold tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of completely innocent Iraqi citisens who have been wounded by this brutal American aggression.
Don't they exclude soldiers who die later from wounds as well? And of course those who die in theater that are "contractors" dont count either. And if there's a full moon....
ONLY WHEN THE WOUNDED VETS SAY IT'S ALL GOOD. Another excellent charge against Bush and Cheney for IMPEACHMENT. (corruption and incompetance---1-202-225-0100 DEMAND IMPEACHMENT)
You said it SpAz.
If they listed everyone whose brain has been damaged by the Iraq war they'd have to add a lot of pundits to the list.
As far as I'm concerned, this is just another indication that we've got beasts running/killing this country and other countries.
And don't forget the army of people who set all of this into motion...without them, none of this blatant deception could happen.
Every so-called American who contributes to these lies and deception is as guilty of stunning disregard for human beings as the s***-heads at the top.
The soldier in the picture with Rumsfeld looks totally thrilled--not.
"I nearly get my head blown off and I have to listen to this senile dork who gave me a goddamn plaque.Thanks a diaper load ,Rummy. Somebody get this creep outa here."
I assume this is all part of the shrub co. job creation program. He counts the vacancies created by injured and dead soldiers.
sully18 @ 8:
Agreed. The picture is cringe worthy.
more bushco fuzzy math. no real surprise from these crooked bastards.
you don't really expect real and honest accounting from bushco, now do you?
SpAz @ 2:
I think Bush is the first brain-damage casualty
When the Pentagon said that they don't do body counts, I thought they meant the enemy dead.
The only "news" in this report is that it's from the USA Toady. No, that's not a typo.
http://www.rense.com/general63/peen.htm
http://thinkprogress.org/2005/12/10/casualty-cover-up/
I would love to see all the families of US soldiers murdered by Bush to report their deaths in one place and find the REAL body count. Odds are it's anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 higher than the reported counts, though not the exaggeration of 9,000 claimed in 2005.
Bushies don't really value that "brain" part of the body.
Fuck. Just shameless, aren't they?
http://www.rjsmith.com/kia_tbl.html I'd say the numbers are getting closer...
And then they have the audacity to ask for signing bonus money to be returned.......another story where the Incredulometer gets pegged of the chart....
I disagree that "hiding the true human cost of their wars has proven difficult for the Bush administration." Quite the opposite. They have actually been quite effective at it.
I would wager that a vast majority of Americans couldn't provide an accurate count of the dead and injured plus or minus 10,000 in either category. Unfortunately for those American men and women presently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, most Americans at home have long ago tuned out. And that's just the way this Administration seems to want it.
We have a brain dead president. Why should mere brain trauma be considered an injury?
Speaking of numbers . . . What about the unreported thousands and thousands who have gone AWOL? This is akin to sustaining injury and we can all be pretty sure these thousands are suffering from PTSD or similar. And, it is a kind of death - to no longer have any earned benefits from the military, reputation, family relationships, or assured safe harbor. This signals desperation, a battlefield tragedy and no less honorable than any other occupation disability.
The damage the Bush Crime Family has done to the world is incalculable.
Thieves, rogues, pillagers, profiteers, killers.
Heartless, soulless -- and in the case of the pResident, brainless.
I honestly am begining to feel that a good portion of our fellow Americans don't care so long as it doesn't affect their ability to shop for cheap items and see only happy, shiny things on the TeeVee.
Listening to people out on the street yesterday on the so-called "Black Friday", really sent me into a deep funk. I have never heard such shallow, mean spirited, narcisistic talk in my life. They have no clue we're at "war" or even occupation.
Soldiers are only a photo-op for republican chickenhawks.
http://www.symbolman.com/chickenhawks.html
Even a mild brain injury can lead to larger problems down the road so let's not let the Republicans play that card.
Now what are the Democrat Presidential candidates propose to do about all of these Vet issues? I say this is one of the most important "hidden" issues we're going to face in the present as well as the future. These injured Vets are going to live a long time and we owe them a high quality of life for what Bush put them through. We owe them quality health care on demand, little or no red tape in regards to Veteran benefits, and respect in regards to employment or any necessary retraining. We can't allow a repeat of what happend to the Vets returning to Vietnam and it's up to the next President to insure this happens.
I'm retired military so I know what a mess the entire VA and military hospital system is and I don't envy any of these returning Iraq Vets. I hope all of the Democratic leadership realizes what's ahead for them and for us.
Did BushCo redefine the word support to mean fuck them up the ass with a pointed stick and break it off ?
This is absolutely disgusting. Vets are shit to these fucking assholes. I'm ashamed of our government.
Sounds like the Pentagon is saying:"well, what use does a soldier have for his brain, anyway?"
Just like Vietnam, oh and they did it too during the Gulf war. Serve your country and we will try not forget you afterwords.
Bush is a low shrub, let me get my dog.
Where on earth are the West Pointers? Taking orders from civilians is well and proper, of course, even (perhaps especially) when the civilians are swine. But where have they been during the Walter reed disgrace, the suicides, and unemployment situation? And now this? Does 'Duty, Honor, Country' mean anything anymore?
I have been trying to come up with a new word for these people but Scumsuckinglyingassmotherfuckinghypocticalshitheadsackofshitdetestablebottomfeeders seems a bit long.
Any suggestions?
Enron accounting practices from the kleptocrats.
What/who do you compare to, to determine normal brain functioning in this country?
Off topic but does this movie look like a film version of the Bill O'Reilly story?:
http://www.amazon.com/He-Died-Felafel-His-Hand/dp/B0006ZUJ8M/ref=pd_sim_...
Gregg @ 34:
Not sure, i know it isn't mine.
moondancer @ 3:
My understanding of it is as follows, the Pentagon after Afghanistan(?) re-defined the terms of war. Such as , what is a "combat fatality". And as such they changed it to only include those who were killed on the battlefield and died before receiving medical treatment. If a medic makes it to ya,you DONT count.
of course Betrayus just refuted this a few months ago.
Now this article comes out.
It must be all lies.
Petraeus wouldnt Betrayus!
That would me he was a political hack operating as a wing of the Executive branch within the Military Branch.
And any 8th grader who has civics class knows thats un-American.
StirFry @ 27:
lmao.
Im still laughing at ...
Why YES , yes they did. Redefined lots of things they did.
Torture.
Justice.
American.
Pro-Life?
Executive/Czar Branch
and on and on and on.....
VegasRage @ 30:
I put it in my will, if I die before Dumbya there is a "dumbya clause" which says that my first born, must according to my last dying wishes , piss on the grave of Dumbya. Or ya gets NONE.lol.j/k son.
but seriously, I WILL piss onthe grave of Dumbya, if its the last thing I do. And happily go to jail for it.in fact i will call the press myself.
I never thought i would see this!
Yeah, right:
Former US Commander Criticizes Bush on Iraq
xoites defends Constitution @ 40:
You mean you never thought you would see it AGAIN.
cause hes like the 10th.lol.
Don't be too hard on the Pentagon, as I explained on BlueGal's open thread, above, 'moderately brain damaged' is 'normal' for the Pentagon's internal tests, which are used to evaluate all Pentagon staff up to and including the Joint Chiefs.
So the good news is there will be plenty of job opportunities for the brain damaged vets in the new Pentagon, with it's massive expansion plans anticipating the planned nuke attack on Iran and WWIII.
xoites defends Constitution @ 32:
Traitors!
Not one iota of humanity.
I hate these people so much.
*
Lollimom @ 7:
You've got that right but it goes deeper than that. All of us are complicit, even those who know and hate that we are being led by war criminals.
As an American in the latter half of the 20th century, most of us looked at the atrocities committed by the Nazis and we simply could not comprehend how ordinary German citizens could allow such crimes to be committed. We are now playing the same role as the "Good American". It does not get us off the hook. We have the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis on our hands.
sully18 @ 8:
He's posing like he's in a wedding photo.
and the fact remains, were it not for the advances in medicine and the top flight surgical teams in our military, the large percentage of the wounded would be dead
that would mean 120,000 dead in 4 years
this is why the gov continues to hide the numbers
and think of what the cost of care for these thousands is gonna mean
we are all fucked
xoites defends Constitution @ 32:
Bushiites?
And most alarming America...Yesterday on CNN showed a group of American's in Michigan exposing the truth that "Mitt Romney( the wrong's top canditake )","saying Gihad and NOT Knowing what it's true meaning IS??? I was and AM appauled! WHO IS IN CHARGE of This Great Nation? Hu-Rah, bro mike SWC
Mitt Romney does not "walk in truth"....fire him....bmaa
sometimes I think the current admin is not just committing genocide on Iraqi citizens but also on our own young~in addition to mental and physical disabilities "our" troops suffer, their problems become problems for wives and families, marriages are destroyed and a whole lot more damages are done to society~the cost of war is not worth it, when we do have workable solutions at our disposal
This administration can't get out of office soon enough.
God willing no Clintons will follow. It will be the same thing all over again.
Mr.Bush - Mr.Clinton - Mr.Bush - Mrs. Clinton
surely another Bush, Sir Florida has been too quiet lately. Any bets?
IMPEACHMENT IS THE ANSWER---1-202-225-0100 is the number. call it--DEMAND it.
No really, they hate the troops...anyone think otherwise at this point is willfully ignorant or just plain not paying close enough attention.
f the funny mathematicians at the Pentagon trying to sugarcoat Bush's war
YouCan'tHandleDaTruth @ 54:
I guess if they keep trying to cut their pay, and keep trying to cut their benefits, and keep trying to get them killed by inferior equipment, then they really do hate the troops.
Guess I'm the only person thinking it, but, what else but someone braindead would enlist in an army? I mean, yelled orders at, treated like crap, all for the thrill of defending your country by invading a third world nation? We are supposed to feel sorry for these people? Why? It's volunteer, is it not?
ConcernedCanuck @ 57:
Have you never made a bad decision in your life?
xoites defends Constitution @ 58:
Yes, but never one that involved killing or the chance of killing human beings. That to me is a no-brainer regardless of the promises of "decent income, education, and travel". There is far too much glorification of soldiers in the US. They are hired killers. That is their job. They aren't there to get educated, or for travel vacations. They are to kill. For Uncle Sam. I think it's sad that something like that is thought of as so "patriotic" and heroic.
59 ConcernedCanuck
I grew up in the US and by your nicname i assume you have not. You have no idea how pervasive the propaganda machine is down here. I was born in 1956 and the only thing i ever dreamed of doing as a kid was becoming a soldier and then a police officer. In my late teens before i could enlist i ran into some good people who opened my eyes and i became a firm believer in non violence. Unfortunately i was can be considered lucky.
Taking a stand in this country against militarism takes more courage than you know. I do not harbor any ill feelings toward people who join up to serve in the military. Most of them are doing it because they believe they are going to help people. By the time reality hits them it is too late.
Pardon my grammer, but you get the point.
Send a copy of this to Pelosi and Reid to show them what all that support for the troops is doing.
Did they count casualties with the same methodologies during Vietnam or has the government altered their methodologies in order to minimize apparent casualties?
Is it the Pentagon's fault if they are run by people with brain injuries, too?
Our society is being replaced by people of no regards for others, I suspect the immigration limus test is one of never allowing any emotions to influence what you think of your gov't, and 2) Making money and bearing fruit is onlt qualifyer god would ever demand of me.
Why is this man NOT IN JAIL?
As a vet, it is impossible for to understand how anybody in uniform can vote for a Republican. The only thing active duty and vets are going to get from the GOPers are easy platitudes and empty promises. But as soon as a price tag becomes attached to any of those things, the GOPers start looking for ways to sell the vet or the person in uniform down the river. They've always been this way. In the days of an all volunteer armed forces, it astonishes me how gutless, chicken-hawk war mongers who would never place themselves at personal risk for any reason or cause can, by cynically pushing a few emotional patriotism buttons, manipulate and extract support from those whom they hold in such absolute contempt.
I guess that taking care of vets - the act of upholding the social covenant which serving in uniform creates, smacks too much of socialism? What the hell, when you're looking for excuses, a flimsy ideological rationalization will work as well as any other for justifying screwing over those of whom you've had your cynical use.
Oh great, and they'll all run for public office as Republicans.
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