U.S. service members wounded during a March 1 Iranian drone strike at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait report that the military medical system failed to provide adequate care and administrative support. In interviews with The Associated Press, nine injured troops and their families detailed unrecognized traumatic brain injuries (TBI), poorly organized evacuations, and delays in securing follow-up appointments. The Pentagon has maintained that the medical response was appropriate and followed healthcare-industry practices.
The strike occurred on the second day of the U.S. war with Iran, killing six troops and injuring dozens more. Soldiers reported that in the immediate aftermath, they used Google to locate the nearest hospital in Kuwait City and provided their own first aid. The accounts come following years of military drawdowns and the closure of major U.S. medical installations in the Middle East, such as the Air Force Theater Hospital at Joint Base Balad in Iraq, which was transferred to Iraqi authorities in 2011.
Specific accounts from the wounded highlight issues at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Army Lt. Col. Arturo Lincón, who suffered a severed artery and shrapnel in his neck, was deemed stable enough for outpatient care and told to book his own appointments. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Rodney Bearman stated that he and others were not admitted to Landstuhl because they were not documented as combat casualties due to a coding error. Maj. Stephen Ramsbottom reported waiting more than four months for MRI results and stated he did not receive a formal TBI diagnosis until arriving at Fort Hood in Texas weeks later.
For these individuals, the day-to-day impact includes managing chronic pain, dizziness, and blurred vision while coordinating specialized care that the military medical system reportedly did not automatically provide. Some soldiers noticed gaps immediately, such as a lack of access to pain medication in Germany, while others experienced delays of several months before receiving a diagnosis for brain trauma. These experiences suggest that current military medical infrastructure in the Middle East may struggle to stabilize and process casualties during active conflict, as U.S. medical resources in the region remain limited.
The Pentagon stated that Landstuhl’s mission is to stabilize patients for transport rather than long-term admission, and that evaluations for conditions like concussions often happen without a soldier's full awareness. However, the Army has not yet briefed the families of the fallen regarding its internal inquiry into the March 1 strike. Lt. Col. Lincón has returned to active duty at Fort Leavenworth, but he and other soldiers continue to contest denied insurance claims and incomplete medical records. The next steps involve the finalization and release of the military's internal investigative reports to the affected families.