On tonight's broadcast we continue the series called Wounds of War. We are following some of the troops we first saw treated in combat hospitals in Iraq earlier in the year as they undergo treatment in the United States.  I want to add a personal note here.  The opportunity to cover this story in the detail I've been allowed  has been, and I look forward to it continuing to be, one of the greatest privileges of my career.  The bravery and sense of duty of our troops as well as the dedication and compassion of the doctors, nurses and medics who care for them far exceeds anything I could have imagined before I witnessed it all personally.

Of course know there are problems. In today's dispatch of my regular column appearing on MSNBC'com's health page, I detail the twin curses of the enormous numbers of brain injuries and the lack of preparedness for the long-term care of all sorts of wounds that so many veterans will require.  The system is simply overwhelmed.  I also point out why former Senator Bob Dole, who is co-chair of the commission set up to address these problems, should have the motivation to make things right.  We'll be watching.  I look forward to following these soldier's and medic's  stories for the duration of  the war and long afterward