Soldiers Not Willing to Reveal Injury
When Army Col. (Dr.) Kenneth Lee began evaluating more than 3,000 Wisconsin Army National Guardsmen called to duty last fall in the state's largest operational deployment since World War II to ensure their medical readiness, he approached the task with unique and personal insights. Soldiers are not willing to reveal their injuries.
Between their initial alert last year and early this year, when they moved to their mobilization station at Fort Bliss, Texas, Lee had to put these Soldiers into one of two categories: "green" if they were deployable or "red" for they weren't.
It was a tough call, he admits, because many of the Soldiers didn't want to confess to issues that might keep them from deploying with their units. Some hid musculoskeletal or other injuries for fear they'd be forced out of the military if deemed nondeployable. Others acknowledged they had medical issues, but hadn't addressed them because they had no health insurance or couldn't spare time away from their civilian jobs to get treated.
But the bigger challenge, Lee said, was identifying troops with mental-health issues, including post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries. Lee calls these "the invisible wounds" of war - issues that don't mean a Soldier can't deploy, but that have to be weighed when making that determination.
This problem has come up more and more as physicans and VET medical staff have dealt with returning vets.
I am currently handling a case for a man who underwent moderate to severe brain damage, surgery and near fatal seizures. Yet when given the chance to return to Iraq for a tour of duty, he opts to go since his working ability as a civilian has plummeted. It is my hope that the military will identify the problems this man has and not let him go into harms way. He is currently receiving training for preparedness to return to Iraq.
I have sent the medical records documenting the seizures and injury but find it difficult to get the attention of the military decision makers. Therefore I advocate procedures like those taken by Army Col. (Dr.) Kenneth Lee.
