Summary

U.S. military artillery crews involved in the fight against ISIS in 2016–17 suffered from traumatic brain injuries and mental health issues due to the shockwaves from their own artillery fire, despite not engaging in direct combat.

Abstract

The U.S. military's strategy against ISIS in 2016–17 involved minimal ground troops, relying heavily on airstrikes and artillery. This approach led to artillery crews firing an unprecedented number of rounds. Upon their return, many soldiers experienced mental health problems, including PTSD-like symptoms, and more than half were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. A study revealed that the shockwaves from the artillery they operated were causing these health issues. The symptoms were initially misattributed to PTSD, but it became clear that the repeated exposure to the recoil and shockwaves of their own weapons was the source of their physical and mental distress. The military's guidelines did not adequately address the risks of such injuries from their own artillery.

Opinions

The strategy of using airstrikes and artillery to minimize ground troop involvement, while effective against ISIS, had unforeseen negative consequences on the health of the artillery crews.
The study suggesting that the troops were harmed by their own weapons was a surprising and concerning finding.
There is a belief that the symptoms experienced by the soldiers could have been misidentified as PTSD, leading to potential misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment.
The article implies that the military's current guidelines do not sufficiently consider the long-term effects of blast waves from their own weaponry on soldiers' health.
The comparison of the gradual brain injury from repeated shockwave exposure to metal fatigue in aircraft suggests a critical oversight in military healthcare protocols.

Own weapon causing damage

More study needs to be done on this front

In 2016–17, America to defeat the Islamic State (ISIS), used a unique strategy of deploying a minimum number of American troops on the ground while relying on airstrikes and a few powerful artillery batteries.

The strategy worked, but it meant a handful of troops would be firing more artillery rounds than ever.

When these troops returned, most of them developed mental problems, which manifested as nightmares, panic attacks, depression and, in a few cases, hallucinations. And quite a few of them also died by suicide or attempted suicide.

These affected soldiers were never directly involved in combat or war with the enemy and had never been to the frontlines, but they still had to grapple with symptoms, often arising from fighting wars or being involved in combat or direct fighting.

Study done

When the troops started suffering from these symptoms, the military leadership ordered a study to understand the underlying cause.

Although the study entailed only reviewing the medical records of the troops, it led to a shocking revelation: “The gun crews were being hurt by their own weapons.”

More than half of the troop members had traumatic brain injuries, according to the study, and it also pointed out that troops could be injured by firing a higher number of rounds every day.

All the soldiers affected were part of artillery batteries and had fired several artillery rounds, the highest by American troops in any battle.

The artillery fired by the American army generated shockwaves that had a debilitating effect on the troops firing it. As the article puts it, “The cannon blasts were strong enough to hurl a 100-pound around 15 miles, and each unleashed a shock wave that shot through the crew members’ bodies, vibrating bone, punching lungs and hearts, and whipping at cruise-missile speeds through the most delicate organ of all, the brain.”

It’s the very cannons they were using that were tearing them apart, physically and mentally.

Why?

An artillery gun generates shockwaves, a kinda recoil movement, and these shockwaves are felt by people around it. One or two firings aren’t a problem, but if you are firing thousands of rounds every day and being repeatedly exposed to these shocks, it will have a pernicious effect, especially on the brain.

“You have a blast wave traveling at the speed of sound through the most complex and intricate organ in the body,” he said. “Wouldn’t you think there would be some damage?,” says the article.

At first, the effect is negligible, but as the damage within the body progresses, the symptoms are visible, but it could be misidentified and attributed to similar disorders.

Misdiagnosis

Troops who have fought wars are known to have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and undertake tests to trace signs of traumatic brain injuries from explosions or firing carried out by enemies, but here, the troops were never engaged in direct combat.

Often, based on these tests, troop members could be misdiagnosed with PTSD, although they may be suffering from other serious medical conditions.

“It’s common to mistake a blast injury in the brain for something else, because when you walk into a clinic, it looks like a lot of other things,” the article states.

As the article puts it, “All the gun crews filled out questionnaires to screen for post-traumatic stress disorder, and took tests to detect signs of traumatic brain injuries from enemy explosions. But the crews had been miles away from the front lines when they fired their long-range cannons, and most never saw direct fighting or suffered the kinds of combat injuries that the tests were designed to look for.”

And nothing or very little study exists to understand what happens to people who have been exposed to repeated shockwaves of their own weapons.

It’s like metal fatigue, often seen in aircraft; the cracks, and fissures appear long before the aircraft disintegration happens. These cracks and fissures spread gradually until the aircraft snaps off.

And although the military has its guidelines, they haven’t considered how blasts or shockwaves from their own weapons affect the soldiers..