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Osama Bin Laden Raid Member Has Traumatic Brain Injury

Osama Bin Laden Raid Member Has Traumatic Brain Injury
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FORT MEADE, Md. -- As the trial of Bradley Manning entered its fourth day on Monday, a filing from one potential prosecution witness revealed a startling fact: One of the members of the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound has had memory loss stemming from traumatic brain injuries.

Government prosecutors may call the raid member, identified only as "John Doe," to prove that files released by Manning to WikiLeaks wound up in bin Laden's possession. The filing was made on April 29 and released to the public on June 4.

The raid member, presumably a Navy SEAL, says they have "occasional short-term memory deficiencies" that include forgetting "where I placed my car keys." Those memory issues started "two to three years ago," apparently before the bin Laden raid, according to the filing.

The cause: "repetitive (traumatic brain injury), but not major trauma. I had consistent small doses over time."

But the raid member also says that the memory issues "do not impact my life in any discernible way" and have not impacted recollections of the raid itself.

Traumatic brain injury is common among veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. The Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center has identified 43,299 members of the armed forces who have suffered from some form of traumatic brain injury between 2003 and 2012.

Manning's prosecutors say that the team that raided bin Laden's compound found both the Afghanistan War Logs and the Department of State's diplomatic cables on digital media in his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The presumed SEAL could take the stand to establish the files' chain of custody, but the defense and prosecution indicated in a pre-trial hearing that they were working on agreeing to a stipulation of his expected testimony.

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Before You Go

Bin Laden Compound Discoveries
Marijuana(01 of06)
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A stroll around the 20-foot-tall, barbed wire led CNN's Nic Robertson to discover a crop of marijuana plants just yards from the home. But whether or not bin Laden and his family were growing the weed for recreational purposes remains a mystery, and it has long been speculated that the Al Qaeda leader suffered from kidney failure, which would allow him to get a prescription for medical marijuana in many U.S. states. (credit:Getty )
Pornography (02 of06)
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As Reuters is reporting, a "fairly extensive" stash of "modern, electronically recorded" pornography was found in the compound, according to U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. (credit:AP File Photo)
'Natural Viagra' (03 of06)
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The discovery of Avena syrup -- a botanical product often used as "natural Viagra" -- at bin Laden's compound has raised questions about whether or not the Al Qaeda leader or his associates were trying to boost their libidos. Also known by the nickname "wild oats," Avena Sativa syrup has two potential uses: to increase sexual desire, and as artificial sweetener used for a sour stomach. (credit:Getty )
Diary (04 of06)
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Navy SEALs reportedly swiped the terrorist's short journal from his Pakistani compound. The al Qaeda leader is said to have mused about mass murder, naming his number one target as President Obama, followed by U.S. military leaders including the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Interestingly, bin Laden noted that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden "was not an important target because that position has less weight." (credit:AP )
No Internet Access (05 of06)
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As the Washington Post is reporting, the compound lacked Internet access, so bin Laden would communicate though an "elaborate pass-the-buck" system by typing a message on his computer which would then be saved to a flash drive and given to a trusted courier, who would drive it to far-off Internet cafes and return with incoming e-mail. (credit:AP )
Soft Drinks (06 of06)
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Bin Laden may have hated the United States, but that didn't stop him from reportedly indulging in plenty of Coca-Cola and Pepsi -- products that are often associated with the Western commercialism the al Qaeda leader is said to have despised. (credit:Getty )
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