Sign on the Bloody Line


The signature weapon of this war -- the improvised explosive device, or IED -- has left a signature wound: traumatic brain injury.

More:

Soldiers hit in the head or knocked out by blasts -- "getting your bell rung" is the military euphemism -- sometimes have no visible wounds but a fog of war in their minds. They can be addled, irritable, depressed and unaware they are impaired.

Only an estimated 2,000 cases of brain injury have been treated, but doctors think many less obvious cases have gone undetected. One small study found that more than half of one group of wounded troops arriving at Walter Reed Army Medical Center had brain injuries. Around the nation, a new effort is under way to check every returning man and woman for this possibility.

Some of those on active duty may have subtle brain damage that was missed when they were treated for more visible wounds. Half of those wounded in action returned to duty within 72 hours -- before some brain injuries may have been apparent. The military just adopted new procedures to spot these cases, too.

"Addled, irritable, depressed..." sounds like a recipe for "going postal," which is most certainly the next phase of the disastrous Bush/Cheney policy, i.e., when the troops bring it all back home. To be sure, you'll also see an economic slide, as has always been the case following a war...another reason Team Shrub is desperate to keep the war going until they're out of office...in other words, they're willing to trade shattered bones and shredded flesh for a little bit of money.

And that doesn't even take into account those suffering from psychological conditions.

Oh, and on that topic (h/t TBogg), Iraqis will likewise be badly affected...particularly kids. Way to go, Team Bush:

Iraq's conflict is exacting an immense and largely unnoticed psychological toll on children and youth that will have long-term consequences, said social workers, psychiatrists, teachers and aid workers in interviews across Baghdad and in neighboring Jordan.

"With our limited resources, the societal impact is going to be very bad," said Haider Abdul Muhsin, one of the country's few child psychiatrists. "This generation will become a very violent generation, much worse than during Saddam Hussein's regime."