'Unacceptable': US Troop's Wife Says Army Downplayed Wounds From Iran-Linked Strike

Last Updated:June 25, 2026, 08:55 IST

The U.S. military faces scrutiny after an Iran-linked drone strike in Kuwait, with families of troops claiming the injuries were downplayed

The U.S. military is under scrutiny over its handling of injuries suffered by American troops after an Iran-linked drone strike during the conflict in West Asia. Wounded soldiers and their families have accused the army of downplaying the extent of the harm suffered by the attack.

Families of the troops have since said that the account does not accurately reflect what they were told or what they have been dealing with. 

US-Iran War Live Updates Today

‘Assessment Is Unacceptable’

Chief Warrant Officer Rodney Bearman was deployed at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait when a drone struck his station. While the U.S. military listed his condition as “Not Seriously Injured (NSI)", medical records accessed by CBS News told a different story: the officer had suffered shrapnel wounds across his body, hearing and vision loss, concussion, and lung damage.

The strike had killed six U.S. soldiers, leaving over 20 injured.

Bearman’s wife, Amy Bearman, described the military assessment of her husband’s injuries as “unacceptable", saying: “From being a military spouse for the last almost 25 years, I knew that if anything ever happened to my husband while he was serving, I knew I would receive either an official phone call or an official visit," according to CBS News. 

Amy Bearman said that she first received the information through a call from Fort Knox –– a U.S. Army installation in Kentucky –– with an official telling her that her husband’s injuries were classified as NSI, and that “he was treated, and released back to duty".

However, things took a turn when her husband, Rodney Bearman, himself shared the account of what happened. Speaking from a hospital in Kuwait, he told her: “I’m going to be OK."

Then, after a pause, he said, “I can’t go back", Amy recalled in the interview with CBS News. 

However, a U.S. Army spokesperson sought to clarify the doubts, saying labels, including “Seriously Injured" or “Very Seriously Injured" apply to those who are at a risk of death within 72 hours.

“The care and well-being of our Soldiers is of the highest priority. Any assertion that the Army seeks to downplay a soldier’s injuries is simply not true", according to the statement.

The mounting discontent has also evoked an earlier statement by U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had claimed that “almost 90 per cent" of around 400 injured service members had only minor injuries and that they had returned to duty.

News world 'Unacceptable': US Troop's Wife Says Army Downplayed Wounds From Iran-Linked Strike

Read More