As a veteran of the current war in Iraq, I am absolutely livid about a new development out of Washington D.C. In the midst of a war, politicians in Congress are cutting funding for the treatment of a serious injury affecting over 100,000 Iraq war veterans.
When a Marine in Fallujah barely escapes a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack, or an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explodes near a soldier's Humvee, the blast can cause the Troop's brain to slam against in the inside of his skull. The result is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and it is most often treated nearby at Walter Reed Army Medical Center or the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda.
TBI is, in essence, a severe blow to the head, but it's more than just a bad headache. TBI can cause severe brain damage. Even in milder cases, dizziness, vision, hearing or speech problems, and memory loss are common - and hundreds of thousand of new veterans have been affected. One in ten Iraq veterans has suffered from a concussion during his or her tour of duty. The number reaches one in five for infantry soldiers like the men I led in Iraq.
So, how does Congress respond to what many military scientists are now describing as the signature wound of the Iraq war? Yesterday, it was revealed that Congress is ready to cut funding for research and treatment of brain injuries caused by bomb blasts. The House and Senate versions of the 2007 Defense appropriation bill contain 7 million dollars for the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center --only half of what was allocated to the center last fiscal year. How on earth could they explain this unpardonable cut?
A spokeswoman for the Senate Appropriations Committee named Jenny Manley was quoted by USA Today as saying, "Honestly, they would have loved to have funded it, but there were just so many priorities," She continued to insult all veterans by stating, "They didn't have any flexibility in such a tight fiscal year."
So according to Ms. Manley, in a bill appropriating more than 400 billion dollars, created to support a war in Iraq that has already cost hundreds of billions of dollars, Congress can't find an extra 7 million dollars to treat troops wounded with brain injuries? That is ridiculous. America's wounded warriors deserve better. And the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee should be ashamed of themselves.
Congress should take immediate action to demonstrate its commitment to the Troops who have served their country so honorably. Last year, after the President flew back to Washington from his vacation, Congress convened special sessions to address the issues of just one brain-damaged woman: Terri Schiavo. Certainly the President should be able to take time now out of his precious summer vacation to address the proper treatment of thousands of brain-damaged Troops.
We must bind together as Americans, to make our elected officials accountable for actions such as this one, which go against the best interests of our troops and veterans. Whether you are for this war or against it, we all have a moral obligation to take care of those who serve. As someone who served in Iraq, I am tired of hearing people in Washington say they "support the troops" and seeing actions like this. A yellow ribbon magnet and empty rhetoric doesn't show me that members of Congress are behind me and the other 1.5 million American troops who have been deployed overseas since 9/11. If they really support the troops, then it is time for the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee to put their money where their mouth is and eliminate this disgraceful cut to funding designated the treatment of America's wounded veterans. To do get involved and do something about it, click here.