Nine U.S. service members wounded in the March 1 Iranian drone strike at Port Shuaiba told the Associated Press that the military medical system failed them, leaving troops to fight for basic care. The soldiers described missed brain injuries, delayed scans, being sent to barracks instead of hospitals, bureaucratic barriers to follow-up care and long waits to reach definitive treatment. One wounded servicemember, Lincón, suffered a damaged left vertebral artery that put him at risk for stroke, according to the AP interviews. Families and Gold Star relatives pressed Army leadership after the strike, which killed six U.S. service members and wounded dozens. The Pentagon has said care met standards, but the troops who spoke on the record said they encountered gaps in battlefield treatment and in the system that arranges evacuations and specialty care. The reporting prompted soldiers and relatives to demand accountability and clearer explanations from Army leaders about medical decisions and evacuation plans after the attack.
