Iranian Drone Strike at Kuwait Port Kills Six U.S. Soldiers, Wounds Over 20

An Iranian drone struck a multi-trailer workstation at the Port of Shuaiba in Kuwait on March 1, 2026, killing six U.S. soldiers and wounding more than 20 others, CBS News reported. The strike was the deadliest single attack on American troops since 2021.

Chief Warrant Officer Rodney Bearman, 57, was hit by shrapnel and suffered a concussion, hearing loss, vision loss, and lung damage. He was treated at a Kuwaiti hospital, released to duty, then returned to the United States on March 18 and assigned to a soldier recovery unit at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. His wife, Amy Bearman, said the assessment of his injuries was unacceptable.

Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito wrote to the Army on his behalf on March 26. Sergeant First Class Cory Hicks, 37, suffered severe shrapnel wounds that required multiple emergency surgeries at a Kuwaiti hospital.

He was airlifted to Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany and later transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, where he remains in a recovery unit with a traumatic brain injury. An Army spokesperson stated that a soldier is classified as seriously injured or very seriously injured only if at risk of dying from wounds within 72 hours.

The same spokesperson said the investigation into the attack has been completed and findings will be released after next of kin are briefed.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated in March 2026 that almost 90 percent of 400 injured American service members had sustained only minor injuries and had returned to duty. Soldiers at the Port of Shuaiba site reported triaging themselves with makeshift supplies and commandeering civilian vehicles to reach local hospitals after the strike.