Soldiers were archetypically heroic and strong. When they came home unable to speak, walk or remember, with no physical reason for those shortcomings, the only possible explanation was personal weakness. Treatment methods were based on the idea that the soldier who had entered into war as a hero was now behaving as a coward and needed to be snapped out of it. —PBS News 2018
It starts with a loud, sharp explosion followed by a deep resonating boom. The initial blast is deafening, and the sound waves reverberate through your chest cavity, literally rattling bones, mere inches away from your most vital, delicate organ…your brain.
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Mortar Blast Exposure
The sound referenced, is a mortar, used primarily by the military, but sometimes by law enforcement and other occupations. Those using it, are exposed to powerful blast waves coming from both the muzzle and breech hour after hour whether in training or combat despite standing to the side of the apparatus.
It is one of many low-level blast producing instruments being studied by researchers in correlation to Breacher Syndrome, due to growing evidence that the blasts from firing weapons can increase the risk of brain injuries. Studies found that individuals show significant changes in their brains including increased levels of damage and tissue inflammation compared to those not exposed to such blasts. This is important because currently, there is no imaging scan or blood test that can detect the numerous microscopic tears that repeated blast exposure can cause. The damage can be seen only after death.
Identifying a potential danger
Identifying a potential danger is a slow process, as little is known about whether routine exposure to smaller blasts from more common weapons like mortars can cause similar injuries. It is simply a part of the dangerous jobs they hold; thus exposure studies are not typically something that is conducted however the government has made strides in a few unusual circumstances such as in the use of artillery shells. The government is developing a device to channel pressure away from soldiers’ heads and have issued an internal safety warning, drastically limiting the number of rounds that military personnel fire in training to no more than thirty-three rounds a day using the weakest charge, and no more than three rounds a day using the strongest.
Dangers to Hearing
That warning, though, makes no mention of brain injury; the stated purpose is to protect troops’ hearing. Why? Because of the level of noise generated from the mortar rounds. Take a .357 magnum pistol, it can expose shooter to 165 dB for 2msec, that alone is equivalent to 40 hours in a noisy workplace and compared to a mortar? It is like comparing a breeze to a hurricane generating 180 dB of noise just inches away from their head. For reference, talking casually is approximately 60-65 dB which is obviously well below the threshold of pain, which is considered 140 dB by audiologists. Every military weapon system crosses the threshold of 140dB and that damage is just to their hearing, think about the potential brain damage that occurs after repeated exposure.
Chronic Exposure
Two branches of the military assert that they have programs in place to track and limit daily exposure like counting every mortar round as mortar tubes get annual inspections so as not to strain weapons systems…the irony? Soldiers do not receive the same treatment as the weapons. Soldiers have been reported saying they have not yet seen those programs and are still training with weapons that the DOD is concerned poses a risk thus resulting in chronic exposure.
One account from a soldier in the NYT, stated that he …” fired 10 thousand rounds in a period of 3 years although most soldiers fire at least 1k rounds in a year, often in bursts of a hundred over a few days.”
Another NYT article stated that, to defeat ISIS during the height of the conflict with Syria and Iraq from 2016-2017, the US relied on artillery crews to fire more than previous generations had during war. Soldiers fired nonstop for weeks on end. To keep the number of soldiers to a minimum, each crew was responsible for firing thousands of rounds, some even fired MORE than 10,000 in a few months.
Screen Failure
Upon return to the states, soldiers were screened for brain injuries, however screening failed, as the test was designed around the effects of larger explosions during active combat and not repeated exposure to blast waves from firing routine weapons—few tested positive.
Instead, military personnel were deemed “healthy”, yet they were struggling to understand why they had panic attacks, sleep disturbances and felt as if they were going insane…however their symptoms matched TBI’s—headache insomnia, confusion, balance issues, tachycardia, paranoia, depression, severe stress, eruptions of rage and a wide range of other uncontrolled emotions.
Screening Procedures
Doctors screening for TBI’s ask three questions: Did the patient experience an identifiable, physically traumatic event, like a roadside bomb blast or car crash? Did the patient get knocked unconscious, see stars, or experience other altered state of consciousness at the time? And is the patient still experiencing symptoms?
All three questions must be “Yes” to receive a diagnosis of TBI. Yet, the military personnel who were repeatedly exposed were exposed during routine training and had not seen combat nor were they able to pinpoint experiencing a traumatic event.
Once more, they were prescribed drugs in lieu of actual treatment for the neurological effects resulting from head injuries (which make functioning difficult for anyone) for individual symptoms like headaches which doesn’t address the larger issue. Relationships and holding steady jobs became a struggle while others became suicidal due to feelings of worthlessness or reported to have substance abuse disorders.
Often times, the issues bled into their jobs where they found themselves passed over for promotions or even fired for misconduct. If fired, their health benefits are revoked, only exacerbating the problem not to mention they were not seen as wounded and in need of help but as a problem.
Addressing a Larger Issue
These neurological conditions have been recorded for decades and little has changed. 30-40 years ago, mortar soldiers could experience fugue states as severe as having little recall of events that transpired or even who they are, if they had family and essentially lost their identities. Others would experience memory problems so severe they would blank on how to perform day-to-day tasks that they may have done for years, stunting neurocognitive performance and making those tasks impossible.
Care Alternatives Needed
The VA website has a help sheet outlining Polytrauma and the system of care for TBI however one page is not sufficient. If you feel you have blast-related trauma symptoms, there is help. Contact us today—we will guide you through obtaining the care you need from advocating for you on your case or connecting you with our network of expert medical professionals, whatever it may be, we are here to help you get your life back!
