Initially doctors thought he just had a metal fragment in his head, but later scans showed it was actually a live explosive round lodged in his scalp.
Unnecessary personal were evacuated and an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team was summoned.
"We were concerned but the procedure in and of itself was not that technically difficult -- it simply involved making a wide enough incision and making sure nothing came in contact with this piece of ordnance and passing it off to the EOD involved," said trauma surgeon Maj. John Bini. "The patient suffers from some amount of brain injury but had essentially and uneventful hospital course and has since been discharged and functioning at this time independently,"
The two-and-a-half-inch device was removed, and doctors say that since it didn't penetrate the brain, the soldier's prognosis is good.
