Seven months ago, an Iranian drone strike on Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, killed six U.S. soldiers, and injured many others. Recently, nine wounded service members spoke on the record to the Associated Press, stating that the military medical system failed them.

Reportedly, several soldiers who were victims of this drone strike waited weeks for a traumatic brain injury diagnosis, and some were not diagnosed until they returned to the United States.  While Army Lieutenant Arturo Lincón had shrapnel damage to an artery feeding his brain was recognized at the time, he was not admitted to a medical center. (A Pentagon official said medical center’s mission is to stabilize patients for transfer, not to admit them.) Major Stephen Ramsbottom was not diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury until he returned to the States and then waited another four months for MRI results.

Delays like those reported in the U.S.-Iran conflict prompted intervention from Senator Tammy Baldwin (WI) in August 2026. The following month, on September 22, Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA), Representative Pat Ryan (NY) and 19 bicameral lawmakers submitted a letter calling for a public hearing about the reported failures.