In the aftermath of Trump’s drone strike on a senior Iranian official, Iran launched a missile barrage at Iraqi military bases housing US soldiers. There were no deaths suffered in the attack.

Trump said afterward that there were no casualties. Within a month, the Department of Defense reported that a total of 109 service members suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Trump downplayed the injuries, saying, describing them as “headaches.”

In Trump’s complete remarks, he discounted the severity of TBIs based on comparison to other injuries:

“I heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things, but I would say, and I can report, it’s not very serious. Not very serious. They told me about it numerous days later, you’ll have to ask the Department of Defense. No, I don’t consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries that I’ve seen. I’ve seen what Iran has done with their roadside bombs to our troops. I’ve seen people with no legs and with no arms. I’ve seen people that were horribly, horribly injured in that area, that war, in fact many cases, put those bombs, put there by Soleimani, who’s no longer with us. I consider them to be really bad injuries. No, I do not consider that to be bad injuries, no.”

Traumatic brain injuries are forms of brain damage resulting from sudden blows to the head. They have become an increasingly common form of injury among service members since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, in part due to the prevalence of IEDs. Its symptoms can range from mild to having a permanent and devastating effect. There have been over 400,000 confirmed cases among US service members since 2000.

The Washington Post – Trump’s no-injuries claim about Iran keeps looking worse

Business Insider – Trump reportedly downplayed the seriousness of military brain injuries again by saying he’s seen worse

Military Times – 109 US troops diagnosed with TBI after Iran missile barrage says Pentagon in latest update

Military.com – Traumatic Brain Injury Overview

Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center – DoD Worldwide Numbers for TBI

Center for Disease Control and Prevention – Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)