When you visit the website for the United States Department of Defense, you can see statistics on those wounded in combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. It may be sobering for you to see the official count numbering in the tens of thousands.
However, what is even more disturbing is that the Department of Defense’s statistics may not be accurate. According to Brown University, the actual number of soldiers wounded during combat operations may be much higher. This is because the DOD only includes certain injuries in its official count.
Wounded in action
The official DOD casualty count only includes injuries that occurred in battle as a direct result of combat. Catastrophic combat injuries occurring frequently include brain and spinal cord injuries, loss of hearing or sight, limb amputation and second- or third-degree burns.
However, there are other injuries or illnesses that may not develop until after soldiers return home. As a result, the Department of Defense does not include them in the official count. These may include post-traumatic stress disorder and disease of the cardiac, neurological or respiratory systems that result from breathing in toxic dust.
Non-hostile injuries
There are also injuries that occur in combat zones but not as a direct result of hostile operations. These include vehicle crashes, suicide attempts and heat stroke. Because they do not occur directly because of combat, the DOD does not include them in their casualty figures.
Based on disability claims registered with the Veterans’ Administration, the real number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans wounded or sickened due to combat was an estimated 970,000 as of 2014.
