The U.S. Army classified multiple soldiers injured in a March 1 Iranian drone strike in Kuwait as "not seriously injured" despite severe wounds. This classification has drawn criticism from families and military personnel.

Chief Warrant Officer Rodney Bearman was injured when a drone struck his workstation at the Port of Shuaiba, where six U.S. soldiers died and more than 20 were injured. Medical records indicate Bearman suffered a concussion, hearing loss, vision loss, lung damage, and shrapnel wounds.

Amy Bearman, Chief Warrant Officer Bearman's spouse, received an official call from Fort Knox on March 2, stating her husband's injuries were classified as "not seriously injured" and that he was treated and released back to duty. "That assessment is unacceptable," Bearman said. The Army removed Chief Warrant Officer Bearman from a Kuwaiti hospital due to security concerns, and he returned to the United States on March 18.

Sergeant First Class Cory Hicks sustained severe shrapnel wounds and underwent multiple emergency surgeries at a Kuwaiti hospital. "They said your husband was injured, he has a minor jaw injury, and he's going to be returned to duty," Hicks stated, relaying what an Army official told his wife. He said he "absolutely" believes the Army and the Pentagon have tried to downplay the incident. Hicks was later airlifted to Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany and then to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, where he required inpatient care for several weeks.

Major Stephen Ramsbottom characterized the situation by stating, "This was a failure." Ramsbottom added that he believed Master Sergeant Nicole Amor, one of the soldiers who died in the attack, could have survived her wounds if there had been a doctor, a fixed aid station, or more than one ambulance at the post. Witnesses stated that soldiers triaged themselves with makeshift bandages, braces, and tourniquets after the strike and commandeered civilian vehicles to drive the wounded to two local Kuwaiti hospitals.

An Army spokesman denied claims that wounded soldiers and their families were not being treated as combat casualties. He stated that military designations, such as "not seriously injured" and "combat casualty," have specific definitions. "Any assertion that the Army seeks to downplay a soldier's injuries is simply not true," the spokesman said. A Pentagon spokesperson stated soldiers in recovery units are not counted as having returned to duty. The Army spokesperson also stated that the investigation into the facts and circumstances of the attack has been completed and findings will be released once next of kin have been briefed.

Chief Warrant Officer Bearman was granted a request to be assigned to a soldier recovery unit at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Senator Shelley Moore Capito wrote to the Army on March 26 seeking clarity on Bearman's injury classification. "Our hope for the investigation is that an honest assessment by the Army will prevent this from happening again to other service members," Amy Bearman said.