Chronic Brain Trauma Is Extensive in Navy’s Elite Speedboat Crews - The New York Times
The pounding that sailors’ brains take from years of high-speed wave-slamming in the Special Boat Teams can cause symptoms that wreck their careers — and their lives. Members of the Navy’s Special Boat Teams may experience sudden jerks of up to 64 times the force of gravity. Credit... Supported by By Dave Philipps Reporting from San Diego In the year before Troy Norrell died, he grew convinced that the government had somehow infiltrated his brain. And in a way, he was right. The 44-year-old was a rising star in the Navy’s Special Boat Teams — an elite group of stealth speedboat crews who can race over rough seas at 60 miles an hour to deliver Navy SEALs to their targets. But after years of pounding across the waves, he was barely able to function. He grew forgetful and confused. He struggled with insomnia, alcohol abuse and rage. On a training trip, he smashed a rearview mirror and started cutting his chest with the glass. He was forced to medically retire in 2017 after 12 years in uni
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