‘He’s not coming back’: Months after deadly Iranian attack, families of soldiers struggle to cope

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the war with Iran enters its eighth month, U.S. soldiers wounded in its deadliest strike yet on American troops are raising concerns publicly, many for the first time, about whether commanders underestimated the threat. Some of those wounded also said the military medical system failed them.

The Pentagon has released few details about the Iranian drone strike on Port Shuaiba in Kuwait that killed six soldiers on March 1, the day after the United States and Israel started the war against Iran. The Associated Press spoke with 13 soldiers, primarily officers, serving in key positions of responsibility there or familiar with high-level briefings. Many said the Pentagon did not take Iranian threats seriously enough as it launched Operation Epic Fury.

Some of the wounded soldiers said that since the strike they have faced what they see as inadequate medical care and a military bureaucracy that impeded their benefits. Several soldiers spoke on the record — rare for troops still in the Army — others on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. The Army declined to comment on the AP’s reporting on the Port Shuaiba strike, saying it had not yet briefed the families of those killed on the outcome of its investigation into the attack.

The Pentagon also declined to comment. “Out of respect for the primary next of kin who will be scheduled for briefs on the official findings of the completed investigation, we will not comment on specific details, individual accounts, or leaked portions of the report at this time,” the Army said in a statement. Here are key takeaways from the AP’s reporting: Officers warned port could be targeted Battlefield conditions are inherently chaotic and assessments drawn by those involved are often in tension.

Soldiers, including officers in senior positions in the logistics command stationed at Port Shuaiba, said Maj. Clint Barnes chose to move their operations center to the site despite threat assessments showing it was not sufficiently defensible against drone strikes and intelligence reports indicating it was a likely Iranian target. They also said the unit could have done its computer-based jobs from a safer site outside of Kuwait.

Hinson declined to comment on the record for this story. Barnes did not respond to text messages and telephone calls. Neither general was empowered to ch…