Gray Team

The Gray Team, more formally known as The Joint Neurosciences Inspection Team, was the name given to a series of special inspection units commissioned by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to serve as mechanism to help improve the care of American forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their missions were particularly focused on the “invisible wounds of war” such as traumatic brain injury or post traumatic stress.

There were four teams in total between January 2009 and September 2011, composed of service men and women from across the armed services as well as civilian scientist volunteers. Each member of the team was nominated by the various armed services and approved to serve on the team by Admiral Michael Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.^[1] Each Gray Team was commanded by Colonel Christian Macedonia, MD, the Chairman’s medical sciences advisor.^[1][2]

Origins

Admiral Michael Mullen assumed the office of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in August 2007. By that point, there had been numerous reports including print newspaper stories by Gregg Zoroya at USA Today^[3][4] and the publication of the RAND Report Invisible Wounds of War^[5] criticizing the US military’s weak response to traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder. Determined to avoid the mistakes made in previous conflicts (Agent Orange, Gulf War Syndrome), he established an office within the Joint Staff to work on these issues giving the experts in this office direct daily access. In 2008, he recruited COL Christian Macedonia to be his Medical Sciences Advisor. They jointly worked on the Gray Team concept and launched the first mission in January 2009.^[1]

Nickname

The team's name came from the brain's grey matter.^[6]

Notable members

Members have included:

• David Brody^[1]
• Jim Hancock^[2]
• Michael Jaffey^[7]
• Geoffrey Ling^[1][2]
• Kit Parker^[1]
• Daniel Perl^[2]

References