Blast concussions: “Agent Orange syndrome”

The problem, like the DeJa-Vu of Agent Orange and much more even up to the Gulf War Syndrome, is because the Country refuses to do it's due diligence and Actually 'Sacrifice' nor even Demand Same! It's much easier, after the war drum cheering, to ignore the veterans, or label as slackers and Lay Blame on the VA, even by many vets depending on political leanings, funded by the people through their representatives, while never complaining about ever increasing defense budgets!!

Agent Orange déjà vu

06/08/11 - The New England Journal of Medicine recently published findings that confirmed damage to the brain from improvised explosive device (IED) blasts suffered by soldiers. In a companion editorial, a Harvard neurologist forcefully concluded that the problem deserves “the utmost attention.” On Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, Candy Crowley of CNN interviewed the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, Peter Chiarelli, who said that still “more research” was needed into the conditions plaguing soldiers. Veterans who also appeared on the show complained about the hurdles they must overcome to get even basic treatment.

After many years and billions of dollars, the tragic story we have seen in past wars is repeating itself: a unique and debilitating disorder from combat is answered by delays and hand-wringing by military leadership while our wounded warriors suffer.

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Blast concussions, and the associated conditions, have become the “Agent Orange syndrome” of Iraq and Afghanistan and a serious public health problem.

For those of us who lived through the Vietnam era, the complaints of soldiers and the recalcitrance of the military are reminiscent of the failures to address the damage from Agent Orange. Just like their Agent Orange predecessors, soldiers exposed to thousands of blasts over 10 years of combat still have to wait “until the science shows” the evidence for the pathology.

Meanwhile, they receive inadequate treatment, endangering them further and making their reintegration as productive members of society even less likely. Not to mention the collateral damage of the suffering endured by their families and friends. {continue}