There are two jobs in the U.S. Army with well-earned reputations for causing concussions. One is being a "breacher," blowing down locked doors and barricades. Another is firing the shoulder-mounted anti-tank weapon called the Carl Gustaf.

"When you shoot it, it's like getting punched in the face… and you feel weirdly drunk for the next day afterwards," said Dustin, a former Army Ranger who fired that weapon dozens of times and also served as a breacher in Afghanistan. NPR is only using his first name because he fears retribution from the company described in this story.

After he left the military, Dustin struggled as a civilian. He felt pretty certain he had a traumatic brain injury and PTSD, but it took years for him to apply for help from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Applying fo

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