Treating "The Signature Wound"

I may revisit this story later, but for now, Editor and Publisher tells us here (based on a USA Today story) that there could be as many as 20,000 uncounted brain injuries suffered by veterans of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

What caught my attention in the story, bad punctuation and all, was the following…

"Soldiers and Marines whose wounds were discovered after they left Iraq are not added to the official casualty list, says Army Col. Robert Labutta, a neurologist and brain injury consultant for the Pentagon."

Why not? If the effects are delayed somehow or questionable until it is determined that the individual treated has a head injury, why aren’t they added to the casualty list?

This also gives me an opportunity to link to Operation Helmet (here), which notes that the House has approved a defense appropriations bill that “mandates the testing of combat helmet pad systems for comfort as a follow on to the impact test that was done earlier.” However, the bill is facing opposition in the Senate based on the most recent available update, and the link provides a means to contact your Senator and tell him or her to do the right thing.