Veteran shares hidden wounds of Iraq war

Denita Hartfield in Iraq. She survived a roadside bomb attack in Iraq in 2005 that has caused traumatic brain injury, now considered a signature wound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Veteran shares hidden wounds of Iraq war
BY STACEY SHEPARD, Californian staff writer
sshepard@bakersfield.com Thursday, Nov 20 2008 7:07 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Nov 21 2008 7:34 AM

Denita Hartfield’s broken ribs are whole again.

The gunshot wound to her arm is now a scar.

From the outside, the injuries she suffered when her Army convoy came under attack in Iraq in 2005 seem to be healed. But inside, it’s a different story.

“I tried to go back to school when I got home ... and I failed my first class ever,” said the 34-year-old Bakersfield resident, who has her masters degree and is now enrolled in Ph.D. courses.

“I’d read a whole page of text and I couldn’t remember one sentence. I couldn’t read my own writing.”

The 17-year Army veteran had constant headaches and chest pain. It was hard to walk straight. Her memory was poor, her speech slurred and she sometimes fumbled when trying to do a task as simple as picking up a pen.

Earlier this year Hartfield was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, a series of physical, behavioral and cognitive impairments caused by shaking of the brain, which often occurs during a roadside bomb or rocket-propelled mortar blast.

ABOUT TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
Who is at-risk:

The condition is most common among veterans who survived a blast, explosion or head injury, especially those who don’t remember events before or after the incident, suffered symptoms of a concussion or who lost consciousness.

Symptoms specific to traumatic brain injury:

• headaches

• dizziness

• ringing in the ears

• fatigue

• intolerance to light and noise

Common behavioral and emotional changes:

• irritability

• apathy

• agitation, aggression

• anxiety

For more information or to seek help for a veteran who may have traumatic brain injury, contact the Kern County Veterans Service Department at 868-7300.
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