U.S. Soldiers Say Pentagon Downplayed Iran War Injuries

U.S. service members wounded in recent Iranian retaliatory attacks claim the Army minimized the seriousness of their injuries. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had stated that nearly 90% of the roughly 400 wounded suffered only minor injuries and had returned to duty. However, soldiers such as Chief Warrant Officer Rodney Bearman, hit by an Iranian drone at the Port of Shuaiba in Kuwait on March 1, and Sergeant First Class Cory Hicks report shrapnel wounds, traumatic brain injury, hearing and vision loss, and months of recovery. Their families say the Army classified their conditions as “not seriously injured” or “minor.” The Army rejected the allegations, asserting that it prioritizes soldier care and that any suggestion of down‑playing injuries is false. The controversy arises amid Iran’s series of attacks in response to a U.S.–Israel strike earlier in the year.