Soldiers suffering with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury termed “Walkie Talkies” by Military.

Just because many soldiers suffering with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury can still “walk” and “talk”, their injuries should not be discounted as anything less than severe. The military, which has termed these individuals as “Walkie Talkies” continues in its failure to acknowledge and diagnose those soldiers returning from Iraq & Afghanistan with mild traumatic brain injury. Many state it is because this type of injury is not as readily discernible as a missing limb or a massive head injury. However, though termed as “mild”, this could not be further from the truth. Many soldiers who have returned from Iraq and/or Afghanistan continue to suffer from the lingering effects of their brain trauma. It was reported in an NPR article, in reference to these soldiers, “They can’t understand a paragraph they have just read, or comprehend their children’s homework. Fundamentally, they tell spouses and loved ones, they no longer think straight”. www.npr.org. Unfortunately, these Veterans are left to suffer from their brain injuries and are expected to assimilate back into American society. These Veterans, who are clearly suffering, should be getting the medical attention they need and should not have stand up against the bureaucracy to obtain it.