Some troops cheat on brain-injury tests to stay with units

Source: USA Today

Troops in Iraq and elsewhere have tried to avoid being pulled out of combat units by cheating on problem-solving tests that are used to spot traumatic brain-injury problems, military doctors say.

New versions of the tests were sent into Iraq late last month to prevent the cheating, says Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Jaffee of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center in Washington D.C.

"With highly motivated individuals, be they athletes, be they our servicemembers in harm's way, there is a motivation to stay with the unit and stay on the job or stay in the game," he says.

The tests, administered by medics in the field, are the military's primary means of uncovering subtle signs of brain injuries from exposure to blasts.

Reports of cheating began surfacing in Iraq during the summer, says Col. Brian Eastridge, a trauma surgeon who supervises medical care in Iraq and Afghanistan from his office in Baghdad.



Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-11-06-cheating-troops_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

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I wonder if the cheating was ignored till now. And I wonder how it will affect them later if they try to claim disability - bet then the govt will "cheat" them.

Definite sign of brain damage.

Touch my finger, draw a picture, where are you, stuff like that...

The desire to stay with your buddies, especially if you perceive yourself as critical to survival of the group, is a powerful motivator. And too, some people thrive on the danger and chaos of war.

what would happen to them if they came home and had to rely on * and his record of taking care of vets.

I did medical processing for soldiers at Ft. McCoy, WI; we demobilized a group of 3000 guardsmen over a 10 day period. All returning soldiers were given a 2-question screening about exposure to head injury. Initially, the soldiers answered the screening truthfully; those who had been exposed to IED and other explosions were separated out of the flow for a medical exam. They were extremely sensitive to any delay that prevented them from sticking with their unit. After a day or two, I started to see truthful "yes" responses on the screening form crossed out and replaced with "no" responses. By the third day, "no" responses were almost the rule, among the unit that had extensive exposure to IEDs.

Welcome to DU!

don’t want to go back to barracks duty, like polishing brass; shining boots, C.O.D, also known as close order drill, mostly make believe work, Believe it or not some in the military detest barracks duty. I sure did.