Date: 3/12/2009 6:14 PM
By KIMBERLY HEFLING
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of doctors and scientists said Thursday the U.S. needs to devise a uniform test for traumatic brain injury to be performed on all troops who are exposed to a blast or other violent event in wartime.
Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is often referred to as the signature wound of the Iraq war. Roadside bombs, vehicle accidents and other events have left hundreds of thousands of troops with such an injury.
Most are mild, and military medical officials have said an overwhelming majority heal without treatment. But Brig. Gen. Loree Sutton, the head of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, has said 45,000 to 90,000 troops have suffered more severe and lasting symptoms.
The recommendations to Congress on Thursday came from a conference last fall in Paterson, N.J., sponsored by a congressional task force on brain injuries. Reps. Bill Pascrell Jr. of New Jersey and Todd Platts of Pennsylvania are chairmen of the task force.
The group suggested that the assessment tool be used in wartime to determine if a soldier should return to duty. It also recommended improvements to traumatic brain injury research, better access to care and more resources for families of troops with TBI.
It asked Congress to spend $350 million on its recommendations to be overseen by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.
“We’re approaching this from every different angle possible,” Pascrell said. “We have a sense of urgency.”
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
3rd Service Member Electrocuted in Shower in Iraq
Date: 2/3/2009
By KIMBERLY HEFLING
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — A third U.S. service member has been determined to have been electrocuted in a shower in Iraq, and Navy criminal investigators are investigating, The Associated Press has learned.
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class David A. Cedergren, 25, of South St. Paul, Minn., died Sept. 11, 2004, while showering. His family was told he died of natural causes.
Late last year, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology changed the manner of Cedergren’s death to “accidental,” caused by electrocution and inflammation of the heart. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has reopened an investigation into his death, Ed Buice, a NCIS spokesman, said Monday.
Cedergren’s death is among 18 electrocution deaths — 16 U.S. service members and two military contractors — under review as part of a Department of Defense Inspector General inquiry. Improperly installed or maintained electrical devices have been blamed in some of the deaths, while accidental contact with power lines caused others.
The inquiry primarily involves electrical work done at a facility where a Green Beret, Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, of Pittsburgh, was electrocuted while showering in January 2008.
Cedergren — a medic — was found in an outdoor shower stall in Camp Iskandariyah, Iraq, not breathing and without a pulse.
His brother, Barry Cedergren, said his family initially suspected he’d been shocked because, according to reports shown to the family, witnesses told investigators that some service members had reported being shocked in the shower.
He said military investigators took a second look at the case after a request from former Sen. Norm Coleman, R.-Minn.
“We’re looking further into what our options are,” said Barry Cedergren, of Ramsey, Minn.
Maseth’s death was initially considered accidental, but is now classified by Army investigators as “negligent homicide” caused by Houston-based contractor KBR Inc. and two of its supervisors. An Army investigator said the contractor failed to ensure that “qualified electricians and plumbers” did the work. The case is under legal review.
Last year, Maseth’s family sued KBR in Allegheny County, Pa., alleging wrongful death. The case was moved to federal court in western Pennsylvania, where it is pending.
NCIS spokesman Buice said he could not comment on evidentiary issues such as who was maintaining the shower where David Cedergren died.
Another service member electrocuted in Iraq while showering in a U.S.-maintained facility was identified in a congressional report as Army Cpl. Marcos Nolasco, 34, of Chino, Calif. Investigators concluded he was electrocuted when an ungrounded water heater shorted, the report said.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
By KIMBERLY HEFLING
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — A third U.S. service member has been determined to have been electrocuted in a shower in Iraq, and Navy criminal investigators are investigating, The Associated Press has learned.
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class David A. Cedergren, 25, of South St. Paul, Minn., died Sept. 11, 2004, while showering. His family was told he died of natural causes.
Late last year, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology changed the manner of Cedergren’s death to “accidental,” caused by electrocution and inflammation of the heart. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has reopened an investigation into his death, Ed Buice, a NCIS spokesman, said Monday.
Cedergren’s death is among 18 electrocution deaths — 16 U.S. service members and two military contractors — under review as part of a Department of Defense Inspector General inquiry. Improperly installed or maintained electrical devices have been blamed in some of the deaths, while accidental contact with power lines caused others.
The inquiry primarily involves electrical work done at a facility where a Green Beret, Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, of Pittsburgh, was electrocuted while showering in January 2008.
Cedergren — a medic — was found in an outdoor shower stall in Camp Iskandariyah, Iraq, not breathing and without a pulse.
His brother, Barry Cedergren, said his family initially suspected he’d been shocked because, according to reports shown to the family, witnesses told investigators that some service members had reported being shocked in the shower.
He said military investigators took a second look at the case after a request from former Sen. Norm Coleman, R.-Minn.
“We’re looking further into what our options are,” said Barry Cedergren, of Ramsey, Minn.
Maseth’s death was initially considered accidental, but is now classified by Army investigators as “negligent homicide” caused by Houston-based contractor KBR Inc. and two of its supervisors. An Army investigator said the contractor failed to ensure that “qualified electricians and plumbers” did the work. The case is under legal review.
Last year, Maseth’s family sued KBR in Allegheny County, Pa., alleging wrongful death. The case was moved to federal court in western Pennsylvania, where it is pending.
NCIS spokesman Buice said he could not comment on evidentiary issues such as who was maintaining the shower where David Cedergren died.
Another service member electrocuted in Iraq while showering in a U.S.-maintained facility was identified in a congressional report as Army Cpl. Marcos Nolasco, 34, of Chino, Calif. Investigators concluded he was electrocuted when an ungrounded water heater shorted, the report said.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
