How a Teenager Found Undiagnosed Brain Injuries in the Military

About this episode

<p><i>Warning: this episode contains mentions of suicide.</i></p> <p>New reporting has found that the impact of rough sea waves on rescue-boat crews in the Coast Guard can lead to long-term effects, including traumatic brain injury.</p> <p>Dave Philipps, who reports about veterans for The New York Times, explains the significant blind spot in the Coast Guard and talks about how a teenager helped expose this widespread danger.&nbsp;</p> <p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/dave-philipps" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Dave Philipps</strong></a>, who reports about war, the military and veterans for The New York Times.</p> <p>Background reading:&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Rescue-boat crews show <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/us/coast-guard-rescue-boat-surfmen-brain-injury.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">signs of brain injuries</a>.</li> <li>After an article by The Times, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/us/31nat-coast-guard-brain-injury-boat-waves-surfmen.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Coast Guard vowed to protect crews</a> from brain injuries caused by rough seas.</li> </ul> <p>Photo: Ruth Fremson/The New York Times</p> <p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p><p> </p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>