A U.S. Army unit asked to bulk up medical support weeks before a fatal Iranian strike on their command post in Kuwait, but they were ignored, soldiers told CBS News.
asserted
soldiers → ask → News
Some of the survivors of the attack also said at least one soldier who was killed could have been saved if there had been more medical resources onsite.
uncertain
who → say → attack
The soldiers' accounts suggest the Pentagon didn't adequately prepare U.S. personnel for Iran's retaliatory strike that
and wounded 20.
asserted
Pentagon → suggest → 20
It was the deadliest attack on American troops since the Iran war began, and the worst since 2021."This was a failure," Major Stephen Ramsbottom said in an interview with CBS News.
asserted
Ramsbottom → begin → News
He said he believed Master Sergeant
could have survived her wounds had there been a doctor, a fixed aid station or more than one ambulance at the post.
uncertain
Sergeant → say → post
"She could have been saved," he said.
uncertain
he → save → ?
"She fought the whole way and was trying to stay alive."
asserted
She → fight → ?
Ramsbottom told CBS News he expected a convoy of aid to rush in to treat the dozens of wounded pulled from the rubble, only to discover no one was coming.
asserted
one → tell → rubble
"I wanted to see like a line of ambulances coming towards us or something," said Ramsbottom, who was with the Army's 103rd Sustainment Command at a forward operating base in Kuwait.
asserted
who → want → Kuwait
Ramsbottom is one of eight soldiers from the reserve unit who have disputed the Pentagon's account of the incident in interviews with CBS News.
asserted
who → dispute → News
Soldiers
they were left from the drone attack despite intelligence showing Iran was targeting their position in Kuwait.
asserted
Iran → leave → Kuwait
According to two soldiers who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the request to leadership for more resources ahead of the strike focused on the number of medical personnel as well as the availability and accessibility of medical supplies.
uncertain
request → accord → supplies
Another survivor of the drone strike, Master Sergeant Ann Marie Carrier, said the Army didn't plan for a mass casualty event, and there were never any run-throughs or rehearsals leading up to the start of the Iranian campaign, dubbed Operation Epic Fury by the Pentagon.
asserted
Army → say → Pentagon
"We didn't have any training," Carrier told CBS News.
asserted
Carrier → have → News
Like Ramsbottom, she described a chaotic scene after the blast where soldiers had to commandeer civilian passenger vans and scramble to find a local Kuwaiti hospital to treat the wounded.
asserted
soldiers → describe → wounded
"There was really nothing in place for something like that to happen," she said.
asserted
she → be → that
In a statement, a Pentagon spokesperson said the department took "extraordinary steps" to protect U.S. troops before and during Operation Epic Fury.
asserted
department → say → Fury
"No plan is ever perfect, but accusations suggesting blatant disregard for the safety of our forces are unfounded and inaccurate," wrote Capt. Tim Hawkins of U.S. Central Command.
asserted
Hawkins → suggest → Command
Hawkins said an investigation into the Kuwait attack is ongoing.
asserted
investigation → say → attack
Carrier said she feels let down by her Army leadership.
asserted
she → say → leadership
"It's saddening, disheartening," she said.
asserted
she → say → ?
"She was fighting"
asserted
She → fight → ?
In the early morning hours before the March 1 attack, incoming missile alarms alerted the roughly 80-100 soldiers at Port of Shuaiba to take cover in a cement bunker.
asserted
alarms → alert → bunker
An Iranian ballistic missile passed overhead.
asserted
missile → pass → ?
But around 9:15 a.m., an all-clear sounded.
asserted
clear → sound → a.m.
Ramsbottom was at his desk when the drone smashed through the workspace's tin ceiling, spraying shrapnel in all directions, and lodging a chunk of glass in the back of his head.
asserted
drone → smash → head
"It went black," he explained.
asserted
he → go → ?
"I heard a loud bang and I got knocked to the ground."
asserted
I → hear → ground
Two and a half months after the attack, Carrier recalled the lights abruptly going out, the walls closing in on her, and then the acrid smell of blood.
asserted
walls → recall → blood
She had been seated next to Amor.
asserted
She → seat → Amor
"When I got up, I know I instantly started screaming her name," said Carrier, who described Amor as her best friend.
asserted
who → get → friend
Carrier says Amor was still breathing as they hoisted her into a passenger van.
asserted
they → say → van
Ramsbottom says a medic joined them in the van, but he didn't have the supplies to stabilize Amor.
asserted
he → say → Amor
"She needed her airway treated," Ramsbottom said.
asserted
Ramsbottom → need → ?
"Like, she was fighting."
asserted
she → fight → ?
As they arrived at the Adan Hospital emergency room, south of Kuwait City, Amor was no longer breathing.
asserted
Amor → arrive → City
She died at the hospital.
asserted
She → die → hospital
"I think if she would have gotten an ambulance, I think she might have lived," he said.
uncertain
he → think → ambulance
Ramsbottom said he recognizes these details may be painful for Amor's family, but said he is speaking out to prevent future missteps.
uncertain
he → say → missteps
"It's a lesson learned," he said.
asserted
he → learn → ?
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
