Veterans groups keep focus on traumatic brain injuries
This Veterans Day, advocates are raising awareness about traumatic brain injury and the impact of these types of wounds on the post-9/11 military generation.
Dozens of service members have suffered TBIs during the current conflict with Iran, and hundreds of thousands of veterans have been diagnosed with it over the quarter-century of the U.S.'s global war on terrorism. The recovery can be lifelong.
"The only thing I sort of remember is kind of a mayday call," Army veteran Jon Kohl told CBS News, recalling his 2013 helicopter crash in Afghanistan.
The crash happened just one month shy of Kohl's 25th birthday, leaving him gravely wounded, including with a severe TBI.
"The first moment I saw him, I said it was a miracle he was alive," said his mother, Micha Kohl.
His parents rushed to the military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, to be by their son's side.
"They had to remove about a quarter to a third of his skull to relieve the pressure," said Paul Kohl.
It would be a year before Jon Kohl could swallow, and doctors said there was a good chance he wouldn't be able to walk or talk ever again. However, he proved them wrong.
Thirteen years later, regular art and music therapy are aiding Jon Kohl's recovery.
"One of the oddities of his brain injury is that, while he doesn't remember people talking or things he's reading, he remembers all the music he knew beforehand," his father said.
The special therapeutic services are provided through the Wounded Warrior Project's Independence Program, which aids veterans with moderate to severe brain injuries, spinal cord injuries or neurological conditions. The Wounded Warrior Project says the special therapies they offer come at no cost to the veterans who are eligible for their program.
"Since 9/11, over 530,000 service members and veterans have been diagnosed with some type of traumatic brain injury," said program director Kelly Parker.
Parker describes traumatic brain injuries as an invisible wound, with symptoms that can initially be hard to recognize.
"Some common symptoms you see is persistent headaches, challenges with memory, challenges with concentration, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, changes in mood and behavior," Parker said.
Experts say early intervention in treating a traumatic brain injury is critical, but also say symptoms can sometimes start weeks, months or even years after the initial injury.
The Kohl family urges other families to be proactive in getting treatment right away.
"There might be an injury that you can't see, and they still need the help and support you would have given an amputee," said Paul Kohl.
Help, hard work and perseverance have put Jon Kohl on a path to healing and inspiring others.
"Just straight up don't give up; it's all possible," he said.
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Veteran advocates sound alarm about traumatic brain injuries
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