Soldiers wounded during the Iran war accuse Pentagon of downplaying their injuries

Soldiers wounded during the Iran war accuse Pentagon of downplaying their injuries Troops hurt in Iranian drone strike on military base in Kuwait accuse Army of misrepresenting the facts of the situation to their families, which officials deny - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Two U.S. soldiers wounded in the war with Iran have accused the Pentagon of downplaying the extent of their injuries, according to a report. CBS News has conducted interviews with Chief Warrant Officer Rodney Bearman and Sergeant First Class Cory Hicks, both of whom were injured when an Iranian drone hit their base at Port of Shuaiba in Kuwait on March 1. The attack, which saw six soldiers killed, was part of the retaliatory strikes against U.S. and Israeli allies in the Gulf launched by Tehran in response to the launch of Operation Epic Fury a day earlier. Bearman, 57, was left with shrapnel wounds and also suffered concussion, hearing and vision loss and damage to his lungs, according to medical records reviewed by the network, but the U.S. Army classified his condition only as “not seriously injured.” His wife, Amy Bearman, explained that she had received an official call after the attack on the base to let her know that her husband had been hurt but was graded “NSI” and that he would be fine to return to duty. A day later, she heard from Bearman himself and it became clear to her that he was more badly hurt than had been implied. He was returned to the U.S. on March 18 and assigned to a soldier recovery unit at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. She told CBS she considered the initial presentation of her husband’s condition “unacceptable.” Among the other 20 servicemembers injured in the attack was Hicks, 37, who likewise suffered shrapnel wounds and was treated at a local hospital. He said his wife was told that the damage he sustained was only “minor.” Hicks was subsequently airlifted to Germany and is now in a patient recovery unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, where he is receiving care for what he said was a “pretty traumatic” brain injury. He told CBS he “absolutely” believes the Army and Pentagon intentionally downplayed the incident. Responding, an Army spokesperson denied the claims and told the network that specific military designations used to classify injuries were being unfortunately misconstrued by the families. They explained that, according to Army protocols, a soldier is only ever classified as “seriously injured” or “very seriously injured” if they are believed to be at risk of dying from their wounds within 72 hours. “The care and well-being of our soldiers is of the highest priority,” the spokesperson said. “Any assertion that the Army seeks to downplay a soldier’s injuries is simply not true." The Independent has reached out to the Pentagon for further comment. Other survivors of the attack on the base told CBS they had requested further medical resources at the site before it happened, with Major Stephen Ramsbottom saying it had been “a failure” that the support was not delivered. The shortfall meant that parties injured in the blast were left to triage themselves with makeshift bandages and commandeer civilian vehicles to take their colleagues to two local hospitals. The Army spokesperson said an investigation into “the facts and circumstances of the attack” had been completed and would be published once the next of kin of those killed had been briefed on its conclusions. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments