While in theater, the Soldier had had multiple concussions.

He seemed fine on the surface, but when he returned home his wife noticed the symptoms. He couldn’t sleep, had terrible migraine headaches and had problems remembering things. He had issues with anger and blew up at his wife for mundane things such as her asking him to take out the trash.

“My brain was hardwired to see her as the enemy,” said the Soldier, receiving treatment at Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center and its traumatic brain injury clinic. Because of confidentiality laws, he cannot be named.

Last month, he, his wife and another Soldier told Gen. Martin Dempsey, Training and Doctrine Command’s commanding general about their traumatic brain injuries and how the doctors and other medical professionals at DDEAMC and the TBI Clinic at the Neuroscience and Rehabilitation Center were helping them recover.

Evaluated in February 2009 and validated in July 2009, the clinic and its staff provide a holistic approach to treatment to patients with ailments that can’t always be detected by the human eye, blood tests or scans.

“You can see the amputee; you can see the burn victim,” said Dempsey to the doctors at the clinic. “Help me understand it.”

TBI and post traumatic stress disorder are often intertwined. Some of the symptoms are shared by both illnesses.

Among the symptoms of TBI are nausea, severe migraine headaches, balance problems, memory loss, mood shifts and sleep problems.

Headed by Dr. Jack Rigg, the center has a variety of professionals from different fields.

There are clinical psychologists, neuro-psychologists, clinical social workers, a headache specialist, a pain specialist, recreational therapists, physical therapists and occupational therapists who work with patients for a comprehensive approach.

“The holistic approach to medicine helps with the symptoms – to get underneath,” said Rigg.

The clinic is the first in the Army to integrate a functional recovery program including community re-integration, exercise, meditation, biofeedback, substance abuse prevention and treatment and therapy for couples.

Rigg said more than 90 percent of TBI cases are combat related.

The two Soldiers who spoke to Dempsey were grateful for their treatment and had seen a vast improvement since beginning there.

Now, the staff at DDEAMC and the clinic is working to get the word out about the treatment available there.

Command Sgt. Maj. Phyllis Joseph, DDEAMC’s command sergeant major, said she would be making a trip to Europe soon to let them know about Fort Gordon’s services.