A Fight for Independence
Two weeks shy of his 20th birthday, Jason Ehrhart’s Humvee took a direct hit from two anti-tank mines. Jason was the gunner in a convoy providing security for the first free elections in Iraq since 1953. Propelled from the turret, Jason sustained injuries so severe that upon his return stateside, he was considered to be the most seriously wounded soldier in Maryland. Among his injuries, Jason suffered from third-degree burns covering 60 percent of his body and badly shattered legs – the left would be amputated a month later. But those are just the visible wounds. Jason also sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) from the blast.
Due to improvements in military medicine and technology, many warriors, like Jason, are surviving combat injuries that would have previously been fatal, including severe TBIs. TBIs, which occur when a sudden trauma or head injury disrupts brain function, are one of the signature wounds of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) – two wars exposing service members to improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In an effort to bring TBIs to the conversational forefront, March is now referred to as TBI Awareness Month.
To date, more than 52,000 service members have been physically wounded in combat, and as many as 400,000 service members live with the invisible wounds of war, including: combat-related stress, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Another 320,000 are believed to have experienced a traumatic brain injury while on deployment. In its 2014 Annual Alumni Survey, Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) reports 43.2 percent of its injured veterans report having a TBI.
Jason represents many injured service members who continue to struggle daily with the aftermath of sacrifices made on the battlefield: physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and legally. While support and services for this injury have progressed—due in large part to the injured veterans and their families who are redefining the concept of TBI rehabilitation—they do not adequately account for long-term needs.
Jason’s road to recovery was expected to plateau in two years, but instead he continued to progress. When financial support for his rehabilitation began to dwindle, Jason and his family refused to regress in therapy and began paying for treatment out of pocket. More than seven years after the IED attack, Jason is now able to walk around his home with assistance. This is a huge feat as it places him one step closer to his independence – something Jason, like so many others suffering from TBI, considers to be the most important achievement in rehabilitation.
The fight for independence has also proven to be one of the most difficult battles Jason and his parents endure. On behalf of their own family and the many families across the country enduring the same struggle, Jason’s parents advocate on Capitol Hill for programs and services that not only enhance rehabilitation, but also focus on long-term quality of life and community integration. They push for legislation that redefines the concept of recovery – laws that will make veterans the centerpiece.
