What really happened? Troops and intelligence reports suggest service member deaths in Iran were preventable

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Independent

Sunday 24 May 2026 08:45 EDT


At least 13 U.S. service members have died during the war with Iran, including six people who were killed when two refueling jets collided above Iraq. An Iranian drone strike that hit a command post in Kuwait killed another six service members.

Donald Trump’s administration quickly sought to frame the deadly incidents as tragic accidents. In the case of the refueling tankers, officials said the accident took place over “friendly airspace” and wasn’t the result of hostile fire. And in Kuwait, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the Iranian drone a “squirter” that managed to squeak through U.S. defenses.

But surviving service members and intelligence agencies reportedly warned U.S. military officials about potential vulnerabilities and the likelihood of enemy fire before the incidents, raising questions about Department of Defense narratives during the nearly three-month-long war. A pair of recent reports from The Atlantic and CBS News suggest military officials downplayed potential threats and ignored requests for medical assistance, with one service member calling the Kuwait strike — the deadliest attack on American troops since 2021 — an outright “failure.”

The life of at least one service member could have been saved if more medical resources were onsite during the March 1 Kuwait attack, Major Stephen Ramsbottom told CBS News. He was expecting a “line of ambulances” coming to the rescue only to find that “we’re on our own,” he said.57

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/iran-war-death-toll-hegseth-intelligence-reports-b2981465.html

---

REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143667269

Link to The Atlantic article - What the Pentagon Didn’t Say About a Deadly Crash
(No paywall gift link)

[Irish_Dem]

1. We are all on our own under Trump.

Including the US military.

[Hugin]

3. YOYO should have been everyone's take away from the first imposition...

Especially after COVID.

(You’re On Your Own)

Only President Biden’s intervention delayed what we’ve experienced now and it’s going to get worse.

[Irish_Dem]

4. Yep. No one can bail us out this time.

[travelingthrulife]

2. So I guess our patriotic Republicans will be screaming about this non-stop

like they did about Benghazi?

[SamuelAdams]

5. I bet Republicans have no interest in investigating this.

They were eager to investigate Benghazi and the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. But they're fine with troop deaths occurring under this administration.

[Puppyjive]

6. Having served in the Middle EastI

I still have not read anything about the cause of the collision of the tanker jets, or how an AWACS plane was blown in two. Was anyone on the AWACS plane? Was it hit by a drone or a missile? I was a crewember in AWACS back in the day. I'm just not satisfied with any of the reports. They don't add up for me. We did not have to fend of drone attacks back during Desert Storm. What was the defense strategy on the drones and missiles? I don't think Hogsbreath considered any defenses. It's so bad.

[riversedge]

7. "The military claimed the skies were "friendly," but initial reports suggested otherwise."........

"The military claimed the skies were “friendly,” but initial reports suggested otherwise.".......
https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/05/iran-war-pentagon-crash-investigation/687068/

[twodogsbarking]

8. RIP to them. We could back and say the entire escapade was preventable.

Some things cannot be quantified.

[oberle]

9. I have a hard time believing

that only 13 have died. I doubt the administration would admit to anymore dead anyway.

[mdbl]

10. I don't trust anything to be run right with a bozo like Kegsbreath in charge

[purr-rat beauty]

11. But but but...

Benghazi!