Could mild brain injuries be affecting good order and discipline? The Pentagon wants to find out.

[Elderberry]

Military Times By: Meghann Myers 12/12/2019

Could mild brain injuries be affecting good order and discipline? The Pentagon wants to find out.

The Defense Department has a mandate to look into the consequences of troops’ exposure to blasts from shoulder-fired weapons, after a 2018 study suggested that repeated impact can cause traumatic brain injuries, and all of the consequences that go along with them.

Research shows that even mild traumatic brain injury can increase aggression and impulsivity, a dangerous mix for troops already dealing with all of the stressors that come with serving. The hope is to develop processes for education and testing on the ground, so that any issues are prevented or dealt with as early on as possible.

But that will be complicated, officials told Military Times on Tuesday, because of the difficulty in tracking and treating invisible injuries.

“Just as you go into the doctor to get your cholesterol check, or for spot checks, we’re going to check your brain as well,” Jane Horton, a senior adviser to the defense undersecretary for personnel and readiness.

Last year, the Center for a New American Security released a report finding that shoulder-fired weapons cause small brain injuries, which can compound over time.

More: https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/12/12/could-mild-brain-injuries-be-affecting-good-order-and-discipline-the-pentagon-wants-to-find-out/

[Victoria33]

There are psychological tests to determine if the patient may have a brain injury, slight or not so slight brain injury.  If a test or tests suggested my patient may have a brain injury, I sent that person to a certain Neurologist I trusted.  Patients were also sent to me to help determine if brain injury was manifest in the patient.

Very loud sounds are not good for hearing - this is why shooters wear something to cover their ears or something inside their ears.  I would like to know the outcome of this study.

What about when you go to a movie these days?  I don't know why everyone in there has any hearing left after a movie.  The loud noise level is terrible.

[GtHawk]

I'm not making light of or denigrating any soldiers or their problems, God Bless them and the sacrifices they make for us. Were any of these issues observes in our soldiers in earlier eras?  I would think that the shoulder fired weapons, if we are talking rifles, had a much greater impact considering that they fired a much more powerful 30-06 or later the .308 compare to the lighter rounds of today's 5.56. Were none of these indicators seen in those earlier servicemen, or were they told to just be a man and tough it out because we (our culture medical and otherwise) was more callous in regards to our servicemen's health issues?

[truth_seeker]

I'm not making light of or denigrating any soldiers or their problems, God Bless them and the sacrifices they make for us. Were any of these issues observes in our soldiers in earlier eras?  I would think that the shoulder fired weapons, if we are talking rifles, had a much greater impact considering that they fired a much more powerful 30-06 or later the .308 compare to the lighter rounds of today's 5.56. Were none of these indicators seen in those earlier servicemen, or were they told to just be a man and tough it out because we (our culture medical and otherwise) was more callous in regards to our servicemen's health issues?

Americans used to suck it up, move forward and make due the best they can.

Today Americans wallow in societal encouraging victimhood.

[rangerrebew]

I guess those of us who served during Viet Nam suffered almost no mild brain injuries because order was still good, even under our CNO Adm. Zumwalt.  Actually, it seems a problem looking for an answer outside the military.  Is it my imagination, or did discipline become more of a problem when Imam Obama was CIC and social justices warriors started infesting the militlary?  Now come the snow flakes.  I really don't think it's brain injuries, to me the caliber of people entering the service needs to be looked at.