Calls are growing from within Congress to award the Purple Heart to service members stationed on Iraqi bases that came under attack from Iranian ballistic missiles.
The strikes occurred on Jan. 8, 2020, just days after the United States Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in a complex attack that took place outside Baghdad International Airport.
Of the 17 ballistic missiles that Iran fired in retaliation, many failed to reach their targets but 11 struck Al Asad Airbase where American soldiers were stationed. Initially, the U.S. government claimed there were no injuries but then began reporting that in fact, many soldiers experience concussions and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) as a result of being close to the blasts.
The number of soldiers that the Pentagon claims have received TBIs as a result of the strikes is now over 100 service members.
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CBS News reports that 23 of 59 members of Task Force Scarecrow at al Asad have received the Purple Hearts they were submitted for. And 22 representatives in Congress have now written a letter to the Secretary of the Army requesting that the additional Purple Hearts be processed and awarded to the remaining members of the Task Force.
TBIs create scarring inside the brain tissue and known symptoms range from irritability to headaches, difficultly concentrating, and suicidal ideation.
Warren Stewart and Kevin Trujillo, in their paper titled "Modern Warfare Destroys Brains," define TBI as, “a traumatically induced structural injury or physiological disruption of brain function, as the result of an external force that is indicated by new onset or worsening of at least one of the following clinical signs immediately following the event: Any alteration in mental status (e.g., confusion, disorientation, slowed thinking, etc.). Any loss of memory for events immediately before or after the injury. Any period of loss of or a decreased level of consciousness, observed or self-reported."
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Reach Jack Murphy: jack@connectingvets.com or @JackMurphyRGR.
