I think we are all aware that the Department of Energy is not who sends us our monthly power bills to keep our lights turned on.  However, what exactly do they do?  Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry addressed this during a speech to the Hopkinsville, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce: “People might be surprised to learn that the Department of Energy oversees the country’s nuclear weapon supply, 17 national labs and research into dealing with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries.”  While the research supported by the Dept of Energy is targeted towards the military, research that develops new knowledge and new innovations for those in the military with a TBI can help all TBI survivors.  In late March, Perry toured a research facility, Brooke Army Medical Center, in his home state of Texas.  “The real recipients of what we’re doing are future warfighters, our veterans, and citizens who have had either PTSD or a traumatic brain injury,” he said during his visit.  As an Air Force veteran who served both in Europe and the Middle East, Perry is, unfortunately, all too familiar with this, through his fellow veterans.