Editorial: Extra care for veterans

Monday, July 9, 2007 | 7:12 a.m.

Soldiers and Marines who appear to have survived unscathed from a roadside bomb blast - or from any loud explosion - may actually have suffered a mild brain injury.

Many return home from Iraq or Afghanistan not even realizing it and can pass routine post-combat-duty health screening by the military because their injury was not severe enough to initially detect.

And because these troops believe they are OK, many do not check into veterans hospitals, where brain scans are routine.

Such troops, however, are at risk of having suffered a more mild form of brain injury, which can cause "irritability, headaches, dizziness and a foggy feeling in the head," a brain specialist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago told The New York Times.

Illinois has started a mandatory program for all of its National Guardsmen returning from Iraq or Afghanistan. All will undergo brain scans, with the main goal of detecting even mild injuries. If injuries are detected, the returning troops will be referred to veterans hospitals.

Other veterans in Illinois will also be eligible for the screening. Additionally, a 24-hour hotline will be set up for veterans in need of psychological counseling.

The program was announced last week by the Illinois veterans director, Tammy Duckworth, who made news last year when she ran for Congress. She is a former Illinois Army National Guard captain and helicopter pilot. In 2004, while serving in Iraq and riding as a passenger in a helicopter while on a mission, she lost both of her legs when a rocket-propelled grenade landed at her feet.

While she praises the medical care she received personally, she said in announcing the program, "It has been shown that the federal government simply was not prepared to deal with the number of war injured coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. This is a way that we in Illinois can react much more quickly."

In its story Wednesday, The New York Times said the program appears to be the first in the nation. We hope other states, including Nevada, see it as a model for their own veterans.