Trial seeks best cure to brain injuries

18.05.12

SAN ANTONIO (KXAN) - To the average onlooker, it looks like Pfc. Justin Strickland is doing learning exercises suited for a child.

“Chipmunk, lemur, penguin, lemur,” said Strickland, as he names the animals that appear on the computer screen in front of him.

Once he is done with that exercise, a series of numbers flash before him. He clicks the mouse each time he sees a multiple of three.

“You learn tricks to help you each time," he said.

The computer exercises may seem elementary, but for the 26-year-old Strickland, even the smallest, simplest tasks can be a challenge. It has been that way since the explosive projectile hit his vehicle while he was serving in Basra, Iraq.

“I don’t remember the actual incident itself. I just remember waking up in time to catch myself from falling off the top of the truck,” said Strickland.

From bruises on his legs to the cast on his arm, Strickland has plenty of physical injuries from the incident. But the injury he spends the most to rehabilitating is the one that cannot be bandaged.

Source: Austin News