Just in: 50 US military personnel have now been diagnosed with concussions and TBI following the Iranian missile attack Iraq earlier this month, according to DoD. That's an increase of 16 from late last week when the Pentagon said 34 cases. 31 total returned to duty.
— Barbara Starr (@barbarastarrcnn) January 28, 2020
full story here: NOW 50 US troops diagnosed with #TBI from Iran missile attack. 31 returned to duty. Pentagon cautions numbers could still grow. https://t.co/7VJeeb0mUF
— Barbara Starr (@barbarastarrcnn) January 28, 2020
I’m seeing arguments that the White House is ‘downplaying’ these injury reports so that Trump won’t feel ‘compelled to escalate in retaliation’, but let’s be honest — Trump has already forgotten the whole American-base-getting-bombed incident. There’s no way for him to spin the results as a win, and he’s too lazy / cowardly to start anything that might require him to focus beyond the next news cycle. Between this and Trump’s favorite war criminal threatening his former SEAL teammates today, the GOP’s “pro-military” reputation is getting flushed most efficiently.
… Several Pentagon officials told CNN that the number of diagnosed cases is likely to continue to change. Approximately 200 people who were in the blast zone at the time of the attack have been screened for symptoms.
Although traumatic brain injuries are not always apparent immediately after they’ve been suffered, the disclosure of injured US service members indicates that the impact of the attack was more serious than initial assessments indicated. Tuesday’s announcement is the third time the Pentagon has updated the figures for the numbers injured.
The Pentagon and President Donald Trump had initially said no service members were injured or killed in the January 8 Iranian missile attack, which was retaliation for the January 2 US drone strike that killed a top Iranian general.
Last week Trump said he does not consider potential brain injuries to be as serious as physical combat wounds, downplaying the severity of the injuries suffered in Iraq…
“No, 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 replied during a news conference.
An influential veterans group demanded Trump apologize for those comments.
“The VFW expects an apology from the President to our service men and women for his misguided remarks,” William “Doc” Schmitz, Veterans of Foreign Wars national commander, said in a statement Friday…
Look, if these troops had superior genes, like the very stable genius squatting in the Oval Office, they’d have been smart enough not to be stationed in a war zone. Trump likes soldiers who aren’t wounded, at least if those wounds are potentially gonna cost Trump any political capital.
Pets of Balloon Juice 2020 Calendars – Ready to Order: Repost
Jeffro
Just over here wondering what would happen if a Dem president said ‘no casualties’ and then downplayed later reports of 50 GIs being treated for TBIs from rocket attacks…
(Ok not really wondering)
Kraux Pas
It almost seems like in the chaotic aftermath of an attack like this, the facts aren’t always clear right away and the truth becomes clear as we get more opportunity to look at it over time.
It would be just awful if Dems used this as an opportunity for years of politically motivated fruitless investigations. Yet somehow something in me feels like it would be justified. I just can’t quite put my Benghazi on it…
WaterGirl
Simply appalling.
NotMax
When does he visit and stand there tossing them bottles of Tylenol?
//
hells littlest angel
But you have to admit it’s very presidential of Trump not to say that they knew what they signed up for. Yet.
Nelle
Every once in a while, it hits me that this is abnormal – this reaction of gratitude that they might be downplaying the injuries to keep T from escalating in retaliation. This is more than crazy pants territory; this is bug all crazy.
I once watched an alcoholic carpenter going through dt’s (delirium tremors, not donald trump seizures). He was in seclusion at the psychiatric hospital where I was working as an aide. The man was building a house so precisely. He measured, hammered, sawed, all alone in a room in his unders and only a mattress in there with him. But he was so convinced of what he was doing that, sans tools, he nearly had me convinced too. I wish mr. trump could be similarly secluded so that he could build his own little world without damaging the country, the planet, and countless lives
jonas
When I look at how Trump treats enlisted service(wo)men, vets and farmers and other constituencies that supposedly make up his base, it reminds me of the drunken abusive guy who will beat the crap out of his own kids at home, but if he catches the neighbor admonishing them for some minor thing, will get up in the guy’s grill and threaten to kick his ass, etc.
If a Dem president ever treated these groups this way, Fox would create an entirely new spinoff cable channel just to document the atrocities. Trump does it? IOKIYAR, I guess.
Frankensteinbeck
Oh, Trump remembers the attack. Why do you think he’s downplaying the injuries instead of playing them up for aggression? He got scared shitless when his OBL moment turned into a disaster everyone blamed him for. On the plus side, this should shove him back into inaction from extreme cowardice until he’s out of office.
satby
It’s just nice to see the extremely conservative VFW push back on the TOTUS for a change.
WaterGirl
@Frankensteinbeck:
We can only hope.
Jay
Sadly, only amongst the reality based community and those who remember that the US is still at war.
lollipopguild
So gallager is openly going after his old teammates? Is he going to attack them? Or does he hope some Seal wannabe will attack them?
Jay
@lollipopguild:
Gallagher has posted a Facebook video that doxx’s other SEALs, exposing their real names, faces, etc.
The Dangerman
A little more than a year and we can flush him.
I wonder how fast deficits will be the be all and end all when the Democrats are in charge.
ETA:
…Woah, if they are active, that’s gotta be illegal.
I’m sure there are some bars on Coronado that Gallagher won’t be visiting any time soon. Unless he likes getting his ass beat.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
OT: Joe Biden has made an ad. Pretty good, I think.
Jay
@The Dangerman
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trumps-pardoned-war-criminal-trashes-his-ex-seal-teammates-as-cowards
Gvg
@The Dangerman: I wonder if he even understands that he is threatening men just as dangerous and trained as he was? Not random civilians! Shrug, I don’t care about him.
Now how do we protect the men he is doxing? Is there any way to prevent him? Seems Trump might prevent the military from arresting the guy, I guess it needs to be states?
debbie
@hells littlest angel:
Or called it a known unknown.
retiredeng
This disgusting pig needs to go. As a veteran myself (USN Vietnam 1965-67) this sorry excuse for a human being can’t even fake concern for anyone. Period.
Jay
@Gvg:
the issue is not that the SEAL’s will need protection from MAGAT’s or Deplorables,
the issue is that SEALs do a lot of “under cover work” and Gallagher has given every potential target a vid, voice record and name against.
Formerly disgruntled in Oregon
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Yeah – nice ad riffing off of Joni’s pathetic statement earlier today. That didn’t take long ;)
Sen Earnest looks super smarmy in that video. What an asshole. Like Dems will listen to her…
clay
@Formerly disgruntled in Oregon: Hers is the definition of “shit-eating grin”.
rikyrah
@Jay:
And, he knows it.
What a phucking nightmare😠😠😠
anarchoRex
What’s John’s pissed off banning post about?
NotMax
@anarchoRex
Reaction to some of the commentary in the Tuesday morning thread.
mrmoshpotato
@NotMax: Oh c’mon. You know this shitstain on our country probably owns the Chinese trademark to Antifreezelonel and would give bottles of it away (and bill taxpayers for it.)
(I’m really not making light of a tragic situation, but it has to be said that Dump will find a way to make this worse and profit off it.)
anarchoRex
@Gvg: I’ve met plenty of morons like him. He simply believes he is stronger/more hard core than all of these other SEALs, and any evidence to the contrary would shatter him like glass.
Amir Khalid
From what I’ve seen, the GOP is pro military actions; pro military personnel, not so much.
Shalimar
@anarchoRex: I have only read small parts of what has apparently been a huge argument, but what i know is that someone was banned for acting like a Russian troll, Raven and possibly others were mad about it, said the banning was undeserved, and blamed Cheryl (IIRC) for it. Raven has basically disappeared for the last few days, so not sure what developments have happened today to make it still an issue.
mrmoshpotato
@anarchoRex: Wage slavery vs actual fucking slavery.
Jay
@rikyrah:
yeah, he knows that he’s killed their careers as SEALs or for any kind of deployment abroad.
and nothing is going to happen to him for that.
piratedan
@Shalimar: in short….
Raven has stated that he’s leaving the site/community because of the actions taken.
The motivations for the action taken were decided upon by JC himself despite the insinuations thru various threads/remarks that it was prompted by a front pager.
Said insinuations led Raven to believe that said commenter didn’t get a fair shake and because of said lack of transparency, they didn’t feel welcome anymore.
In response to that continuous train of thought cropping up in the ongoing threads as people became acquainted with the situation prompted the post you cited…JC explained that he dropped the ban hammer and essentially put out his post to staunch the speculation (because that’s what jackals do) and stated that it was his decision and his alone and like any of these decisions, its not done whimsically.
Naturally, the response to JC’s actions vary from…
well said commenter wasn’t a shit to me, so I don’t understand…
to
well, it’s his site and his rules and I trust JC enough that he helped build this community, so I’ll take it on faith that this was the right thing to do
and all points in between.
Kent
@Jay: So how does the military actually work in these sorts of instances where we are in kind of unchartered territory with presidential interference in the chain of command and military discipline?
If we have a new president in 9 months who frees the Pentagon to get back to restoring proper order do they come down like a load of bricks on this guy? Basically flush him out? I gotta imagine that he has all kinds of shit in his file that isn’t complementary and if they ever get back to actually following procedure rather than bending to POTUS then I gotta imagine he is on really thin ice.
One can only hope. I’m not sure we have ever actually been in this situation before.
bluefish
Just want to thank you BalloonJuicers and jackals everywhere for keeping me sane and helping me laugh and find happiness in that as we ride the nightmare wave. Long time lurker. Thank you, Anne. Excellent piece. Can hatdly wait to read all the comments.
bluefish
Just read the Gallagher thread. Fuck. Thanks again to all.
Yutsano
@bluefish: Thank you for breaking the waters! I will say that lurkers always make meet-ups such fun.
SectionH
Um… it’s late here, 3 hours after Yutsano’s post at ~2am EST. I don’t think all the Jackals are pouting. Gonna post this anyway and see what happens.
Chris T.
Well, sure. Trump doesn’t use his, except perhaps for cooling his blood, so why would anyone else need a brain?
Chris T.
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Did you notice Ernst starts saying “President Biden”, before correcting to “Vice-President”? Freudian slip?
satby
@piratedan: that’s.. a great synopsis.
Chris Johnson
@The Dangerman:
One unintended consequence of the Russians pushing Bernie Sanders so hard, is that it publically invalidates deficit scolding as a weapon.
To put it in simple but inflammatory terms, carrying on about deficits as if countries with sovereign currency are homeowners paying their bills, is straight up neoliberal bullshit (and of course neocon: the differences are in social policy and warmongering, the ‘neo’ part always represents deeply reactionary economics that are super right-wing)
Obviously the media will harp on deficits, if only because Putin will pay them to do so. But the more Bernie gets propped up to take over the Democratic party, the more it steals legitimacy from deficit whining and austerity scolding.
Austerity has been a catastrophic failure for every country that has attempted it. It’s macroeconomically stupid to the point of self-sabotage. All it does is protect the already-rich and their desires to starve the government in a bathtub. Austerity and deficit scolding are so unpopular that Bernie Sanders has SOME non-Russian support. That’s how bad austerity is: it’s really very safe to oppose it. Everybody knows it’s disastrous.
Robert Sneddon
As I understand it the elected President is Commander in Chief of the US military. They ARE the “chain of command”, constitutionally they can do anything with and to the US military the Constitution does not expressly forbid.
Downpuppy
Has Trump even mentioned the rocket attack on the embassy in Baghdad? the backlog of things to be ignored is growing.
J R in WV
@Robert Sneddon:
Close, but the President is the last link at the top of the “chain of command” and he is not limited only by the Constitution but also, at least in a real Presidency, also by all the laws passed by Congress and signed into law by a sitting President, or passed over a sitting President’s lawful veto.
Not that Trump is constrained by laws, obviously he neither knows any law limiting his authority, nor cares about legalities in any way whatsoever. WASF !!
Of course, right now I’m listening to the questions being answered in the Senate trial which will reveal whether President Trump is limited by our law at all.
Barry
@Chris Johnson:
“Austerity has been a catastrophic failure for every country that has attempted it.”
For the country, yes; for the parties pushing it, no. The GOP was successful with it, as were the Tories.
david
How are there “50 concussions and TBI” and no other reported injuries? No broken bones? No cuts requiring hospitalization? No reports of injuries to torso or limbs? Only head-related injuries? Was no one wearing a helmet?
This story gets odder with every update, and I wonder how true some of the details are. It’s almost like folklore; as it gets repeated, it gets more and more embellished.
Procopius
@Kraux Pas: Funny, that seems to be what happened in Benghazi. The initial reports were confused and turned out to be wrong, but that didn’t prevent the Republicans from promoting conspiracy theories.
Anyway, I have no way to prove it, but I think our “intelligence” agencies were surprised at the apparent improved accuracy of the Iranian missiles and have realized they can do a lot more damage than previously thought if they want to. That’s why Commander Bonespurs declared victory.