[lbo-talk] Iraq vets wonder, "Where was I?"

[Carl Remick]

[Score one for GWB & Co.  Perhaps this supposedly "subtle" memory/learning 
impairment will make it easier to redeploy the troops to Iran.]

August 2, 2006

Study Links Military Duty in Iraq to Lapse in Some Mental Ability

By BENEDICT CAREY

A large study of Army troops found that soldiers recently returned from duty 
in Iraq were highly likely to show subtle lapses in memory and in ability to 
focus, a deficit that often persisted for more than two months after they 
arrived home, researchers are reporting today.

But the returning veterans also demonstrated significantly faster reaction 
times than soldiers who had not been deployed, suggesting that some mental 
abilities had improved.

The slight deficit, often unnoticed by the soldiers, could make it difficult 
for some of them to learn and remember information as quickly as they are 
accustomed to, the authors said. ...

<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/02/health/psychology/02psych.html?_r=1&oref=slogin>

Carl