Congress Turns Heat On Pentagon Care

Jack Kamen, Christian Jones, and Matthew the Apostle among a crowded legislative chamber session — Photo: mark reinstein / Shutterstock

Six American soldiers died and dozens more were wounded in an Iranian drone strike on a Kuwait military post, but nine survivors now say the military’s own medical system let them down afterward.

Story Snapshot

An Iranian drone hit a U.S. operations center at Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, on March 1, killing six soldiers and wounding more than 20.
Nine wounded service members told the Associated Press on the record that injuries were missed, evacuation plans failed, and red tape blocked follow-up care.
Survivors said they used makeshift bandages and tourniquets, then drove themselves to Kuwaiti civilian hospitals because no U.S. military medical facility was close.
Members of Congress have sent letters and opened investigations into the Pentagon’s response.
The Pentagon says the care given was appropriate and followed standard medical practice.

Deadliest Strike of the War Hits a Kuwait Port

The Iranian drone struck Port Shuaiba on March 1, the day after the United States and Israel began their war against Iran. Six soldiers died and dozens were wounded, making it the deadliest attack on American troops since the conflict started. The Pentagon has released few details about what happened that night.

Nine of the wounded soldiers agreed to speak to the Associated Press using their names, a rare step for active-duty troops. They described a system that failed to recognize how badly they were hurt, had no solid plan to get them to hospitals, and later buried them in paperwork that slowed their recovery.

Witnesses said soldiers had to treat each other in the first chaotic minutes. They used makeshift bandages, braces, and tourniquets on their own wounds and on each other’s. With no nearby military hospital, they commandeered civilian cars and drove hurt comrades to local hospitals in the Kuwaiti suburb of Fahaheel.

Germany Hospital Sends Wounded to Barracks

Some wounded troops were later flown to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the military’s main hospital hub in Europe. Survivors said they were not admitted as inpatients there. Instead, they were sent to wait in Army barracks because they had not been officially documented as combat-injured.

Soldiers with signs of traumatic brain injury reportedly could not get proper testing for nearly a month, even after being flown from Germany to Fort Hood in Texas. Military Times reported delayed testing, inconsistent care between recovery units, and limits on soldiers taking leave to see their families.

Major Stephen Ramsbottom, who survived the strike, called the response “a failure.” He said he believes Master Sgt. Nicole Amor, one of the six soldiers killed, could have survived her wounds with a faster evacuation plan in place.

Lawmakers Demand Hearings on Military’s Response

Senator Elizabeth Warren and other lawmakers wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in July, saying they were “alarmed by reports of failures” to provide care. Soldiers had reportedly asked for more medical personnel and supplies before the attack, but those requests were ignored, according to the letter.

Senators Tammy Baldwin and Kirsten Gillibrand joined colleagues in launching a formal investigation into the attack and its aftermath. In September, Warren pressed Senate Armed Services Committee leaders to hold public hearings on what went wrong at Port Shuaiba.

Pentagon Says Its Medical Response Was Proper

The Pentagon disputes the soldiers’ account. Officials told the Associated Press that all wounded troops arriving at military medical facilities are evaluated, and admission decisions are based on injury severity, following what the department called “healthcare-industry practices”.

A Pentagon official explained that Landstuhl’s main job during combat casualty events is to stabilize patients for transfer to specialized hospitals in the United States, not to admit them long-term. That distinction, officials say, explains why some wounded soldiers were sent to barracks rather than hospital beds.

Six American soldiers were killed in the Iranian drone strike on Port Shuaiba.

Now wounded troops tell the AP they were left fighting the military bureaucracy just to get proper care afterward.

They survived the enemy. They shouldn’t have to fight their own system too. pic.twitter.com/KFrRCfbc2N

— YESTERDAY’S NEWS CHANNEL (@YN_NewsChannel) October 5, 2026

A Familiar Strain on Battlefield Medicine

The dispute reflects a problem that has shadowed military medicine for decades. A 1996 federal review found recurring shortfalls in wartime medical planning, staffing, and command coordination during casualty events, long before this strike occurred. Military journals still describe casualty evacuation as one of the weakest links between frontline care and established hospitals, especially when communication and equipment gaps slow response times.

Whether the Port Shuaiba failures were unique or part of this long-running pattern is now a question for Congress and the Pentagon to settle. For the wounded soldiers and the families of those killed, the answer determines whether real changes follow, or whether this becomes another case study in a system both sides agree struggles to care for its own.