Claim: 500,000 U.S. troops came home from Iraq and Afghanistan "with PTSD and traumatic brain injury.
Verdict: SUPPORTS

Retrieved passages:
title: Casualties of the Iraq War
text: Iraq War. The amputees represent 2.2% of the 22,700 U.S. troops wounded in action (5% for soldiers whose wounds prevented them returning to duty). By March 2009, the Pentagon estimated as many as 360,000 U.S. veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts may have suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI), including 45,000 to 90,000 veterans with persistent symptoms requiring specialized care. In February 2007, one expert from the VA estimated that the number of undiagnosed TBIs were higher than 7,500. According to "USA Today", by November 2007 there were more than an estimated 20,000 US troops who had signs of brain

title: Casualties of the Iraq War
text: injuries without being classified as wounded during combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. A top U.S. Army psychiatrist, Colonel Charles Hoge, said in March 2008 that nearly 30% of troops on their third deployment suffered from serious mental-health problems, and that one year was not enough time between combat tours. A March 12, 2007, "Time" article reported on a study published in the "Archives of Internal Medicine". About one third of the 103,788 veterans returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars seen at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facilities between September 30, 2001, and September 30, 2005, were diagnosed with mental

title: Casualties of the Iraq War
text: radioactive depleted uranium. A study of U.S. veterans published in July 2004 in "The New England Journal of Medicine" on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental disorders in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans found that 5 percent to 9.4 percent (depending on the strictness of the PTSD definition used) suffered from PTSD before deployment. After deployment, 6.2 percent to 19.9 percent suffered from PTSD. For the broad definition of PTSD that represents an increase of 10.5 percent (19.9 percent – 9.4 percent = 10.5 percent). That is 10,500 additional cases of PTSD for every 100,000 U.S. troops after they have

title: Casualties of the Iraq War
text: 2008: Data contained in the Army's fifth Mental Health Advisory Team report indicate that, according to an anonymous survey of U.S. troops taken last fall, about 12% of combat troops in Iraq and 17% of those in Afghanistan are taking prescription antidepressants or sleeping pills to help them cope. ... About a third of soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq say they can't see a mental-health professional when they need to. When the number of troops in Iraq surged by 30,000 last year, the number of Army mental-health workers remained the same – about 200 – making counseling and care even

title: Posttraumatic stress disorder
text: have been estimated at up to 20% for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. As of 2013 13% of veterans returning from Iraq were unemployed. The September 11 attacks took the lives of nearly 3,000 people, leaving 6,000 injured. First responders (police and firefighters), emergency medical services, sanitation workers, and volunteers were all involved in the recovery efforts. The prevalence of probable PTSD in these highly exposed populations was estimated across multiple studies utilizing in-person, telephone, and online interviews and questionnaires. Overall prevalence of PTSD was highest immediately following the attacks and decreased over time. However, disparities were found among

title: Coming Home campaign
text: the support of the UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Defence Secretary Liam Fox, former head of the British Army General the Lord Dannatt and the founder of Help for Heroes charity, Bryn Parry. Since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan in 2001, 249 Servicemen have been very seriously injured and 260 seriously injured or wounded. There are a total of 168 amputees from Afghanistan – 14 are triple amputees, 66 double and the remainder have lost a single limb. The Chief Executive of Coming Home and Haig Housing Trust is former Brigadier James Richardson. Coming Home campaign Coming Home

title: War on Terror
text: Affairs puts the total number of casualties of the War on Terror in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan between 480,000 and 507,000. Some estimates for regional conflicts include the following: Total American casualties from the War on Terror The United States Department of Veterans Affairs has diagnosed more than 200,000 American veterans with PTSD since 2001. On December 7, 2015, the Washington Post reported that since 2001, in five theaters of the war (Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Somalia) that the total number of terrorists killed ranges from 65,800 to 88,600, with the Obama administration being responsible for between 30,000 and

title: Where Soldiers Come From
text: for roadside bombs in order to keep roads safe for other troops. By the time their deployment ends, they are no longer the carefree group of friends they were before enlisting; repeated bombs blasts around their convoys have led to TBI symptoms, and they have become increasingly disillusioned about their mission. Coming home is no relief as they are now confronted with the silent war wounds of PTSD and TBI. The soldiers struggle with reintegration with society and some miss the simplicity in life they had while in Afghanistan. The latter half of the documentary focuses on their struggles on

title: Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
text: and its long-term effects. Nearly 20% of the more than 2.5 million U.S. Service Members (SMs) deployed since 2003 to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) have sustained at least one traumatic brain injury (TBI), predominantly mild TBI (mTBI), and almost 8% of all OEF/OIF Veterans demonstrate persistent post-TBI symptoms more than six months post-injury. Unlike those head injuries incurred in most sporting events, recent military head injuries are most often the result of blast wave exposure. After a competitive application process, a consortium led by Virginia Commonwealth University was awarded funding.<ref name="http://www.spectrum.vcu.edu"></ref><ref name="http://www.grpva.com"></ref><ref name="http://www.army-technology.com"></ref><ref name="http://www.army.mil"></ref><ref name="http://www.whitehouse.gov"></ref><ref

title: Bob Woodruff
text: estimated that more than 320,000 have probably sustained traumatic brain injuries and more than 300,000 have probable psychological wounds. The Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) is a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that post-9/11 injured service members, veterans, and their families thrive long after they return home. In 2014, Woodruff was awarded the third highest honor within the Department of the Army Civilian Awards, the Outstanding Civilian Service Award, for substantial contributions to the U.S. Army community through his work with the Woodruff Foundation. In February 2007, Bob and Lee Woodruff published an account of their lives after Bob's injury, "In an

title: Georgia–United States relations
text: 2,000-strong contingent from Iraq to provide assistance back home. At the time of the withdrawal, five Georgian soldiers had died in Iraq and 19 were wounded. Georgia currently maintains 1600 soldiers in the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan, making it the largest per-capita contributor in the mission and the largest non-NATO contributor to the war effort, after overtaking Australia in 2012. The country has lost 30 soldiers in Afghanistan and more than 170 were wounded since 2010. The most recent deaths occurred on May 13, 2013, when 3 Georgian soldiers: Cpl Alexander Kvitsinadze, Lower Sergeant Zviad Davitadze and Cpl Vladimer Shanava

title: Iraq War
text: troops from Iraq, leaving only a unit of nine soldiers manning four observational helicopters. In a speech made to Congress on 10 September 2007, Petraeus "envisioned the withdrawal of roughly 30,000 U.S. troops by next summer, beginning with a Marine contingent [in September]." On 13 September, Bush backed a limited withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Bush said 5,700 personnel would be home by Christmas 2007, and expected thousands more to return by July 2008. The plan would take troop numbers back to their level before the surge at the beginning of 2007. By March 2008, violence in Iraq was reported

title: July 12, 2007, Baghdad airstrike
text: child had been injured by their attack, one initially responded, "Ah damn. Oh well", and a minute later continued, "Well, it's their fault for bringing kids into a battle". Smith describes this reaction as inhuman. She draws parallels with soldiers who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder in earlier wars. She continues, "the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are inflicting huge psychological damage on combatants". In refusing to recognize this, the US military fails both its own soldiers and their victims. She concludes that command structures need to be in place to identify "combatants with serious psychological problems". On "Democracy Now!", Josh

title: Casualties of the Iraq War
text: The mental health needs of military families in the aftermath of combat exposure and other war-related trauma have been thought likely to be inadequately addressed by the military health system that separates mental health care of the returning soldier from his or her family's care, the latter of whom is generally covered under a contracted, civilian managed-care system. In 2003, 597 insurgents were killed, according to the U.S. military. From January 2004 through December 2009 (not including May 2004 and March 2009), 23,984 insurgents were estimated to have been killed based on reports from Coalition soldiers on the frontlines. In

title: Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Care Improvement Act
text: the bill would require that the program is accessible in each VA region that contains a polytrauma center. Between 2004-2014, over 280,000 American military service members (equivalent to approximately 18 percent of total military members) were diagnosed with tramautic brain injury. On August 8, 2012, President Obama signed into law the Veterans' Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitative Services' Improvements Act of 2011. Before that date, tramautic brain injury treatment at the VA hospitals focused on physical restoration. The legislation added some expansion to the focus of care to include more comprehensive and holistic rehabilitation plans. In 2011, Senator Max Baucus introduced

title: Geoffrey Ling
text: Critical Care Unit. Ling completed two combat tours: Afghanistan (2003) and Iraq (2005), as well as four "Gray Team" tours to study combat brain injuries. His medical studies of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq show that over 50% of those who died of wounds had head injuries. Prior to his position as Deputy Director at DARPA Ling was a tenured professor and Acting Chair of the Department of Neurology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS). He worked at the USUHS from 1995-2012 and for many years was the Army's only neuro-intensive care physician. Ling is

title: American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)
text: troops to 4,600. In January 2015, the 1,000 Paratroopers of the "Panther Brigade" of the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division were deployed to Iraq. They came with an additional 300 soldiers, Airmen, and Marines, bringing US troop levels deployed in the country to 4,400. According to the New York Times, by 4 February 2015, the US had 4,500 troops in Iraq. Over the next two years, this number seemed to plateau at a number around 4,500. As of Sept 28, 2016, according to the DOD, the United States authorized additional troops for Iraq and Syria, for a total of 5,262.

title: Islamic State of Iraq
text: 65,000–80,000 fighters. The Iraqi government and some Shiites expressed their worry that this would lead to tens of thousands of armed Sunnis in autonomous tribal 'Awakening groups', leading to Shiite militias growing in reaction, and potentially leading to civil war. In January 2007, US President George W. Bush ordered an extra 20,000 soldiers into Iraq ('the surge'), mostly into Baghdad and Al Anbar Governorate, to help provide security and support reconciliation between communities, and explained the decision predominantly by pointing at the "outrageous acts of murder aimed at innocent Iraqis" by "Al Qaeda terrorists". 31 May 2007, in Baghdad's Amariyah

title: War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
text: in Afghanistan is "precarious and urgent", the 10,000 additional troops needed there would be unavailable "in any significant manner" unless withdrawals from Iraq are made. The priority was Iraq first, Afghanistan second. In the first five months of 2008, the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan increased by over 80% with a surge of 21,643 more troops, bringing the total from 26,607 in January to 48,250 in June. In September 2008, President Bush announced the withdrawal of over 8,000 from Iraq and a further increase of up to 4,500 in Afghanistan. In June 2008, British prime minister Gordon Brown announced

title: History of the United States (2008–present)
text: the 2010 troop surge. By December 2011, the first round of 10,000 troops were withdrawn, with the second round of 23,000 troops later withdrawn in September 2012. As of February 2014, a total of 2,307 U.S. troops were killed and 19,656 injured due to the Afghanistan War. Estimates from the Brown University Watson Institute for International Studies also suggest that between 16,725–19,013 Afghan civilians died as a result of the war. ISAF ceased combat operations and was disbanded in December 2014, with a small number of troops remaining behind in an advisory role as part of ISAF's successor organization, the