Joe Shearer, 40, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, received a traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnosis only recently, 21 years after suffering blasts in Iraq. A mortar round knocked him down, causing vomiting. A roadside bomb later sent a shock wave through his body, leading to days of headaches and sleeplessness.
Shearer, who returned home at 19, initially denied PTSD and didn't know what a TBI was. He struggled with dizziness, migraines, and forgetting daily tasks. He turned to drugs to self-medicate and considered suicide. Years passed before he recognized his TBIs while screening fellow veterans for the Wounded Warrior Project. He still experiences vertigo, light sensitivity, and memory lapses, sometimes having no recollection of conversations.
Frank Sonntag, 75, an Army veteran from Queen Creek, Arizona, also experienced memory loss after a TBI from a mortar blast in Iraq 22 years ago. Writing an email took him 30 minutes. Colleagues noted he spoke one word every 10 seconds. Sonntag considered suicide before his diagnosis, eventually receiving medication and speech therapy.
Spencer Milo, 41, of Parker, Colorado, suffered his first TBI 18 years ago when his Humvee crashed evading fire in Iraq. A second TBI came 15 years ago from a suicide bomber's blast in Afghanistan. He now deals with migraines, seizures, and forgetfulness, facing skepticism from fellow service members who cannot see his invisible wounds. These are the working-class bodies broken in service of imperial ambition.
The Human Cost of Imperial War
Nearly 700 U.S. service members have been wounded by drone and missile attacks on bases in the Middle East and other fighting in the ongoing war in Iran. Most of these service members experienced traumatic brain injuries. They were returned to duty, according to public statements from military officials.
Between 2000 and 2025, over 500,000 service members were diagnosed with TBIs. Eighty-two percent were considered mild and not all combat-related. Advocates believe these injuries are still undercounted. Symptoms often overlap with post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions, masking the true scale of the damage inflicted by the imperial garrison.
Doctors cannot predict who will suffer lasting effects from a TBI. Repeated blows increase the chances of chronic problems, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Dr. David Okonkwo, a University of Pittsburgh brain trauma specialist, stressed the imperative for individuals to recover from a concussion before engaging in activities that risk another. Dr. James Kelly, an emeritus professor of neurology, noted that a blast wave causes a different, cellular injury distinct from blunt head trauma.
State Neglect and Liberal Distraction
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell last month dismissed the vast majority of injuries over a two-week period as "minor concussions." This official narrative downplays the severe, long-term impact on working-class soldiers. Many are sent back to the front lines, their health secondary to military objectives.
Defense Health Agency spokesman Peter Graves stated, "it is policy that service members are screened for TBI." Yet, veterans' accounts reveal a systemic failure in care. This gap between stated policy and lived reality exposes the state's true priorities: maintaining military readiness for capital's interests, not the well-being of its personnel.
Democratic lawmakers, including Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, are calling for an investigation into the care wounded troops received after an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait killed six U.S. soldiers this year. Baldwin pressed the military to release findings of its investigation into the March 1 attack. She stated that Wisconsinites who sustained traumatic brain injuries from President Donald Trump's war in Iran went weeks without screening or specialized care.
This focus on investigating care, rather than the imperial project itself, manages the system's contradictions. It offers symbolic concessions that prevent deeper structural challenges to the ongoing projection of military power to secure resources and markets. Kelly Parker, director of independent services at the Wounded Warrior Project, emphasized the crucial role of screening, early treatment, and support for veterans. She noted that physical, speech, and art therapies can lead to improvements, highlighting the brain's capacity to heal and adapt. Such advocacy work often fills the gaps left by inadequate state provision for those wounded in service to capital's global interests.
Americans are increasingly concerned about the war in Iran and its potential to bring more chaos to the Middle East as the conflict continues. This public unease grows as the true costs of imperial ventures become harder to ignore.