The Pentagon has said that 4,471 soldiers sustained injuries to their brains in Iraq and Afghanistan as of September 30th. There’s just one teeny-tiny problem with that number, which is that the the Army, Navy and Department of Veterans Affairs have either seen or treated more than 20,000 soldiers for brain injuries than the Pentagon reports have been injured.
The new numbers come from a variety of sources, including VA records and 4 U.S. bases that have supplied multiple units to the conflicts. The Pentagon’s explanation? If they don’t notice that soldiers are fucked up before they leave Iraq or Afghanistan (even if they sustain the injuries there), then they aren’t counted as official casualties. Also, I’m sure that this counting method in no way affects their ability to get treatment or receive VA benefits because our government wouldn’t do that. Nope.
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