Home » Archives » "Wounds that don’t show"

Wounds that don’t show

Nov- 4-2007 » Filed Under: Homefront

MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune

The bomb, two large artillery shells buried at the side of the road, exploded just a few feet in front of the Stryker.

The blast in central Iraq didn’t so much as puncture the tires. But it hit the soldiers inside so hard that some couldn’t think straight for days.

“The first few days were miserable. I was wearing sunglasses inside my room. … My head was just pounding,” said Sgt. Brian Kerrigan, who was seated at the gunner’s station.

Luckily, none of the football-sized chunks of asphalt thrown by the bomb hit Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Du, who was standing in a hatch with his head and shoulders exposed. But the pressure wave rocked him hard enough to give him a severe concussion.

Ten days later: Same Stryker vehicle, another patrol, another explosion, more injuries.

Two months later: Both men are still feeling the effects.

Kerrigan and Du are among hundreds of soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, just now back from 15 months in Iraq, who are dealing with what has been called the signature injury of the Iraq war.

It’s referred to as mild traumatic brain injury, or mTBI, to distinguish it from more severe cases in which patients must relearn to walk or talk, or worse.

But there’s nothing mild about the way these injuries are inflicted. And the symptoms can profoundly change the lives of soldiers.

They can have persistent headaches, feel restless and tired, be easily frustrated and irritable, and have trouble remembering things or doing more than one task at a time. All can lead to trouble at work and home, especially when symptoms are compounded by the anxiety, depression and other mental health issues that many soldiers bring home from combat.[...]


Comments For "Wounds that don’t show":

You are illegally posting our story "Wounds that don't show" by our reporter Michael Gilbert.

Please remove it from your site immediately,

Contact me if you have further questions regarding our policy.

Thank you,
Toi Britton
The News Tribune
Editorial Dept.

Posted by: Toi Britton | June 12, 2008 4:30 PM

This is a second request for you to remove this story and any other stories by The News Tribune from your web site.

Thank you,

Posted by: Toi Britton | June 13, 2008 4:33 PM

Toi,

Please read and respond to your email. I sent you a note. Until I hear back I'm not going to remove anything.

Regards,

Todd
Founder, strykernews.com

Posted by: Todd | June 13, 2008 8:29 PM

Post a comment

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by a site administrator before your comment will appear. We appreciate your patience.)

Advertisements