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Nightline Daily E-Mail
October 6, 2004
TONIGHT'S FOCUS: Some wounds will heal. Some wounds are obvious. But estimates are that 60 percent of the wounded from Iraq are also suffering from brain injuries. And their fight for recovery is much tougher than most of us can imagine.
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The modern body armor used by the U.S. military is actually pretty amazing. It is also really heavy. But the helmets, and the vests with protective plates, can save soldiers who, in past wars, would have died. As uncomfortable as the armor may be, it's sort of like a seatbelt, you have to wear it. To do otherwise is just too foolish. And modern medicine can save soldiers from wounds that would have been fatal not that long ago. Now I have written several times before that I don't think that we really appreciate both the number and the seriousness of the wounds soldiers over there are suffering. We tend to think that the wounded will all be fine after a little while. But war is not like the movies. The hero doesn't always get nicked in the arm, and grit his or her teeth and go on. Many of the wounded are scarred for life. Lost limbs. Disfigurement. Their lives changed forever. We cannot turn away from them.
Tonight correspondent Judy Muller will focus on a type of wound that seems to be affecting more and more soldiers. Traumatic brain injury. The nature of the war in Iraq with the roadside bombs exposes soldiers to explosions and concussions in a way that is different than past conflicts. Granted, more soldiers are surviving. But many of them are suffering from symptoms that previously might be considered a form of combat fatigue. Loss of memory, irritability, lack of inhibition, anxiety, confusion, persistent headaches. More and more, doctors are realizing that these soldiers have suffered wounds to their brains. And they often are misdiagnosed, some sent back into combat. They may not even realize what happened to them. And others face tremendous hurdles, having to learn to speak and walk all over again.
There is a report out today on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The war was clearly the focus of the vice presidential debate last night, and we'll touch on all of that. But our focus tonight is on the real struggles that these wounded soldiers go through to win back their health, and in some ways, themselves. Chris Bury will anchor tonight, I hope you'll join us.
Leroy Sievers and the Nightline Staff
Nightline Offices
ABCNEWS Washington D.C.
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