Some U.S. soldiers gravely wounded in the deadliest Iran strike on American troops say the military medical system failed them. Nine U.S. service-members wounded in a March 1 drone strike on a U.S. military site in Kuwait that killed six troops spoke to The Associated Press about what they describe as a medical system that left them fighting to get treatment on their own.
The soldiers’ criticism comes against the backdrop of years of disinvestment and drawdowns in the Middle East driven by multiple administrations and political leaders who sought to end U.S. involvement in the region. The Pentagon said all soldiers were treated appropriately, and evaluated by doctors who followed the health industry's standards.
Army Lt. Col. Arturo Lincón was among dozens of U.S. soldiers injured in that attack.
Whether the military was properly prepared for treating its wounded has become a sharp point of contention.
AP Exclusive: Survivors of a drone attack that killed six U.S. soldiers question Army leadership over safety and the medical care that followed. https://t.co/eBPdwn6XqO
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 5, 2026
Some of the wounded soldiers learned they were not documented as wounded in combat and would not be hospitalized.
Instead, they were sent to the barracks, and told to get outpatient care; they were documented that way due to a coding error.
Lincón says he went days without pain medication.
Lincón spent seven weeks getting specialized outpatient care at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, before being sent home to Kansas.
He was awarded the Purple Heart and is back on active duty as an instructor at Fort Leavenworth.
