Family Life

03.17.11 | Sarah Harnisch

 Under the new rules, thousands more soldiers will be wearing one of the nation's most prestigious awards; given only to soldiers who have been killed or injured since World War 1. On Monday, the army chose to clarify the word "concussion", making thousands more eligible for the medal. They have embraced the latest scientific findings that even brief periods of dizziness or headaches are evidence of a wound. For decades, it was left to doctors or battlefield commanders to decide whether a blow to the head during combat warranted the medal. Many held the view that you've got to be bleeding to get the medal. The new rules spell it all out: symptoms can include a momentary loss of consciousness or memory, dizziness, headache, nausea, or light sensitivity. Medical treatment can simply include rest and Tylenol. More then 80-thousand G.I.'s suffered concussions since 2001, mostly from roadside blasts in Iraq and Afhganistan.