Midmorning With Aundrea - November 12, 2020 (Part 1)

(Part 1 of 4) Although many veterans suffer from traumatic brain injury, some doctors feel it is woefully under-diagnosed.

I'm always fascinated by twins you may know someone who suffers from traumatic brain injury.

Veterans are often treated for this injury.

But a physician who worked at a new orleans v-a hospital says tbi was dramatically under-diagnosed there.

That has raised concerns about how some veterans are being treated for the so-called "signature wound from the iraq and afghanistan wars.

Jim axelrod shares one tragic result.

On the front porch of this home in fraklinton, louisiana& daniel murphy decided he could take the pain no longer.

And so..

On august 21, 2017& this 32-year-old retired army sergeant& who did five decorated combat tours in afghanistan and iraq hanged himself.

Jim murphy was daniel's older brother.

Do you blame the va for what happened to your brother?

Absolutely.

He suffered symptoms of post- traumatic stress disorder-insomnia, anxiety, a feeling the enemy was lurking nearby.

But jim murphy told us& there were also signs of brain damage like memory loss.

He couldn't remember basic stories of your childhood?

Not at all.

We could sense that something was wrong.

Until last month dr. frederic sautter ran the family mental health program at the new orleans v- a.

Sautter grew suspicious in 2017 something was wrong.

Until last month dr. frederic sautter ran the family mental health program at the new orleans v- a.

Sautter grew suspicious in 2017 about the quality of care where he worked.

I was noticing that many of them were having headaches, having memory problems, things of that nature.

Many of his patients with ptsd- a psychological condition - were also presenting symptoms of a tbi - a physical wound - but hadn't been diagnosed or treated for one.

And i said to myself, "there's problem."

Department protocol requires all iraq and afghanistan vets to undergo a simple four question screen for tbi during their first visit to a v-a facility.

A positive screen leads to more evaluation.

According to internal documents internal documents obtained by cbs news, 60-80% of vets who screen positive nationwide are ultimately diagnosed with tbi.

But when dr. sautter dug into the data he was alarmed: the number at the new orleans va: 18%.

It was so deviant a number.

I remember thinkin' i should just turn the computer off, forget what i've seen.

Instead sautter says he compiled a list of vets who had first screened positive for a possible tbi but never got the v-a mandated follow- up.

There were hundreds.

These are people who need to be identified, they need to be brought into the va, and evaluated.

Nearly 600 vets had further evaluation conducted by this man: v-a nueropsychologis t dr. john mendoza.

Sautter says dr. mendoza diagnosed tbi at a rate of 9%-- lower than both the va nationwide and the va in new orleans.

Three veterans told us dr. mendoza told them he-quote "didn't believe i traumatic brain injury."

So how can you have doctors working at the va who "don't believe in something that the dod has called the "signatur wound" says something terribly bad about our va.

Two v-a sources confirm daniel murphy reported he'd been diagnosed with a tbi years before..

When his humvee hit an i-e-d .

Dr. mendoza's notes also indicate murphy complained of memory loss.

And yet - while dr. mendoza diagnosed ptsd and depression - he wrote: "ther was nothing presented to suggest possible tbi."

Without a tb diagnosis ..

There would be no tbi treatment.

Six weeks later danny murphy took his own life.

The last thing that my brother texted me was, "hope to talk t you later".

It wa that evening that he hung himself.

Dr. mendoza did not respond to our request for an interview we can tell you he retired in 2017, several months after seeing daniel murphy.

The v-a declined our request for an interview.

In a statement to cbs news, the department said it's quote "committed to safe well-coordinated care for those who have sacrificed for our nation."

Jim axelrod, cbs news.

One former marine says we should be looking for ways one former marine says we should be looking for ways to allow our heroes to ácontinueá serving.

Jake wood is co- founder of the disaster relief organization "tea rubicon."

He spoke with tony dokopil about the endless legacy of war, and a new way to think about veterans day.

Jake wood: we called ourselves "bullet sponges" you know, we'd go out on these counterinsurgenc y patrols in iraq and we'd basically just wait for the enemy to attack us.

As a marine sniper, jake wood deployed to iraq in 2007 and then afghanistan in 2008...never far from what the marines call "th point of friction."

Jake wood: // our tours were tough.

They were bloody.

The highest casualties of any unit across both of our tours.

A fact that haunted wood's parents -- and him as well.

Jake wood: 12:12:24 was my mother burying me.

// 12:13:17 when i got back from my second tour, my dad hugged me at the airfield.

And he whispered in my ear that my mom had painted the living room ten different colors since i'd left.

And he said i had to stop doing that to her.

And you know, i took that to heart.

But if wood had always been a somewhat unlikely soldier&a former college athlete, seemingly primed for business school ... what was even more unlikely is what he did after leaving the military in 2010.

Tony dokoupil: 11:33:14 what was the plan at that moment?

Jake wood: 11:33:16 there was no plan.

And that was the plan.

Nats: haiti chaos when a powerful earthquake devastated haiti & destroying much of that country's infrastructure, and leaving countless in need& jake wood: 11:35:15 i'm watchin' it unfold.

And it just looked familiar.

&wood decided to áself-deploy,á as he puts it & nats - wood directing in haiti & gathering a small group of veterans & and flying down to help.

Jake wood: 11:39:40 obvious that this is what we'd been doing for a decade overseas.

And they've been doing it ever since.

Haiti was the start of team rubicon, a non-profit, co- founded by wood, that has since launched more than 700 veteran- led relief operations.

Including a big one out here on new york's rockaway peninsula.

Jake wood: 12:43:33 this place was under, you know, three feet of water and a foot- and-a-half of sand.

After superstorm sandy upended life here, team rubicon built an on-the-go operation center to put things right.

Tony dokoupil: 12:34:45 this right here?

Jake wood: 12:34:46 this right here.

Yeah.

So this-- this nondescript parking lot right here.

Hundreds of veterans led the rebuilding efforts & coordinating thousands of volunteers.

Jake wood: 12:35:05 we'd get our teams the equipment and supplies that they need.

// and you'd just see, you know, all these people just stream out and just, kind of, move across the neighborhood, // and just going, you know, house by house to-- to help these people who need it.

And they soon realized that, by helping others, these veterans were also helping themselves.

Jake wood: 11:42:19 veterans suffer from when they come home is // a lack of purpose, a lack of meaning.

And i think service to others has this opportunity to fulfill that /// tony dokoupil: 11:43:38 // when you're deployed, the stakes are literally life and death.

When you come home and you're working a job, the stakes are probably 'if i do well, i'll get a better tv next year.'

Jake wood: 11:43:50 there's definitely truth to that.

I mean, life-and- death stakes became so normal overseas.

The idea that, you know, you've got a sales quota to meet-- i mean, you know, if it's a high enough sales quota, may-- maybe, you know-- maybe that'll do it for you.

But i think, for a lotta folks, they are looking for something that's more consequential.

With that in mind & it was here, on veterans day eight years ago, when jake wood asked former service members -- and is asking us right now -- to reconsider the purpose of this federal holiday.

Tony dokoupil: 12:02:12 // what does veterans day mean to you?

Jake wood: 12:02:22 evolved into something that's more of an opportunity to demonstrate to the country, not what veterans have done but what they're still capable of.

// we look at veterans and we're-- we're quick to thank them for their service, and that's good.

We should do that.

But you know, i think we shouldn't be afraid to ask them to continue to serve.

Tony dokoupil, cbs news, new york.

When we come back, check your sugar.

A screening for