March: Brain Injury Awareness Month
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and the ASOM wants to raise awareness on this serious condition.
Although historically it has been largely undiagnosed, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has been a significant health issue affecting service members since the 1860s, when artillery became the dominant force on the battlefield. Today TBI from blast force is the “signature injury” of the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns, impacting hundreds of thousands of U.S. combatants. According to Pentagon data, since 2000, about 408,000 service members have been diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury.
TBI Studies
In February 2020, researchers from Duke University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering published a paper titled, “Primary Blast Wave Protection in Combat Helmet Design: A Historical Comparison Between Present Day and World War I,” comparing helmets from the First World War to the modern Advanced Combat Helmet. Surprisingly, the study found that the French “Adrian” helmet introduced in 1915 provides a significant reduction to the effects of blast upon the brain, as compared to today’s Advanced Combat Helmet. To learn more, click here.
The History of the Adrian Helmet
In 1926, the French modified slightly the Adrian helmet by fabricating it from one piece of stamped steel, instead of from two pieces, like its 1915 predecessor. The French likewise manufactured the updated helmet from higher quality steel, enhancing its effectiveness against shell fragments and to some extent, against bullets. The new and improved Adrian helmet was designated the M26 (Model 1926). The M26 continued in use with the French Army until after World War II. Below, you can see an original M26 Adrian helmet that is on display at the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum’s “North Africa, 1942” exhibit. Soldiers from the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion and Darby’s Rangers encountered French troops wearing helmets like this in Algiers during the North African Campaign.
We hope this article was informative. To learn more about TBI in regards to service members, please click here.
