President Donald Trump demonstrated that he knows nothing about the brain injuries sustained by American soldiers as a result of combat all while proving once and for all that he does not care about their lives or their well-being, resulting in a sharp rebuke from a former commanding general.
In retaliation against Trump for ordering the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Suleimani earlier this month, Iran fired missiles at two military bases in Iraq where U.S. soldiers were located. While they were able to take cover prior to the strike, many still suffered brain injuries.
Trump responded to the missile strike initially by claiming that “all is well,” and when asked by reporters about the conditions of the soldiers on Wednesday during his trip to Davos, he downplayed their serious injuries by referring to them as mere “headaches.”
“I heard that they had headaches, and a couple of other things, but I would say, and I can report, it’s not very serious,” Trump said. “I don’t consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries that I’ve seen.”
Overall, eleven troops were flown out of Iraq to be treated for potential brain injuries.
“While no U.S. service members were killed in the Jan. 8 Iranian attack on Al Asad Airbase, several were treated for concussion symptoms from the blast and are still being assessed,” Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said in a statement obtained by ABC News. “As a standard procedure, all personnel in the vicinity of a blast are screened for traumatic brain injury, and if deemed appropriate are transported to a higher level of care.”
Brain injuries are serious problems that can lead to dangerous personality changes, violent tendencies, and even suicide. It absolutely should be taken seriously but Trump won’t because he doesn’t want to take responsibility for his role in causing the injuries sustained by our troops that he placed in harm’s way.
Disgusted by Trump’s remarks, retired General Mark Hertling took him to the woodshed.
No longer an “active duty commander,” I did spend 3+ yrs commanding large organizations & was personally subjected to multiple IED blasts. These can be serious injuries, they can contribute to death, neurological and psych disorders…and POTUS comment is dangerously wrong. https://t.co/dfVyrwj4Qt
— Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) January 22, 2020
In 2014, after 10 years of studying effects of combat blast wounds from IEDs, the military appropriately ditched the “sport concussion protocols” & established a formal 6-day protocol to prevent further neurological damage. Anyone calling these “headaches” is uninformed. https://t.co/QsvBNEB7y8
— Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) January 22, 2020
Responding to Hertling, retired General Michael Hayden agreed.
Just unbelievable, isn’t it!
— Gen Michael Hayden (@GenMhayden) January 22, 2020
Trump’s irresponsible assassination order directly led to these soldiers being needlessly injured. Brain injuries could very well affect them for the rest of their lives. And that is not something any president should just shrug off as “not very serious.”
Featured Image: Wikimedia
