A first group of in-lieu-of airmen have undergone Automated Neuro-Psychological Assessment to collect baseline data to aid in their recovery should they receive a traumatic brain injury during their deployment to Iraq. The Army has used the process before, as has the Air Force for some special operations airmen. MSgt. John Nimmo reports that this is the first group of ILO airmen to receive the testing. Many of the airmen that fill in for soldiers have been exposed to blasts from improvised explosive devices, which can lead to TBI.
An F-16 pilot was awarded a Silver Star for a harrowing mission in which he dodged multiple surface-to-air missiles during the opening weeks of the operation against the Houthis in Yemen earlier this year.
