Arturo Lincón says he was left on his own after the Army did not admit him at Landstuhl
Arturo LincónU.S. Army lieutenant colonel with the Defense Logistics Agency, wounded in the March 1 strike
Lt. Col. Arturo Lincón, who was hit by shrapnel in the jaw and neck, told the Associated Press that after the Army sent him to barracks in Germany instead of admitting him at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, "I was just kind of on my own, at least it felt like that."
Responding to
Wounded soldiers told the Associated Press that the military's medical system failed them: they say they were not documented as wounded in combat, were sent to barracks instead of being admitted at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, and waited weeks or months for brain-injury diagnosis and care.
“I was just kind of on my own, at least it felt like that”
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did the military fail the troops wounded in the March 1 Iranian drone strike at Port Shuaiba?
On March 1, 2026, an Iranian drone struck a U.S. Army tactical operations center at Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, killing six soldiers of the Army Reserve's 103rd Sustainment Command and wounding dozens more. The next day Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the drone as a "squirter" that made its way through air defenses and hit a fortified building. Survivors have since told CBS News and the Associated Press that the post had no defense against drones, that commanders had been warned, and that wounded soldiers waited days to be evacuated, were not recorded as combat wounded on arrival at Landstuhl and waited weeks or months for brain-injury care. The Pentagon says wounded troops are evaluated and may be admitted based on the severity of their injuries, the Army has rejected claims that it downplayed injuries, and the Army has not released its completed investigation. Democratic lawmakers have asked for answers. The dispute is over whether the military failed the troops at Port Shuaiba in how it protected them and how it cared for and documented the wounded.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Associated Press report in which nine wounded service members spoke on the record about their medical care after the March 1 strike. It reports that the Army and the Pentagon declined to comment on the AP's reporting, quotes a Pentagon statement that wounded troops are evaluated and may be admitted based on severity according to physicians who follow "healthcare-industry practices," and quotes a Pentagon official on Landstuhl's mission.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Associated Press investigation based on interviews with 13 soldiers, primarily officers, several on the record and others anonymously, plus Gold Star families. It includes the Army's statement declining to comment on specific details before families are briefed, and a statement that the Pentagon also declined to comment. The AP page lists an update on October 6, 2026; the wording we quote matched an AP member copy published October 5.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The AP reports that shrapnel lodged in Lincón's jaw, severed an artery in his neck and embedded in a vertebra, and that a damaged vertebral artery put him at risk of a stroke. It reports that the Army did not consider his wounds serious enough for admission at Landstuhl and that he was sent to nearby barracks and told to schedule outpatient appointments.
After the quotation
Lincón told the AP he went days without pain medication and later spent seven weeks in outpatient care at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. In a separate report on the move to the port, the AP paraphrases him saying the port had existing secure communications infrastructure and that Jordan was already crowded.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is whether the military failed the soldiers at Port Shuaiba in protecting them or in caring for the wounded. Lincón's quoted words criticize his care: he says he was on his own after the Army sent him to barracks rather than admitting him at Landstuhl. In a separate report the AP paraphrases him giving reasons the port suited the unit, but those are not his quoted words and do not change his stated view of his care. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional; it loses because the quoted statement attaches no condition and voices no support for how he was treated. Evidence: a direct quotation in an Associated Press report.
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The Dispute Index. "Arturo Lincón says he was left on his own after the Army did not admit him at Landstuhl". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4870-lt-col-arturo-linc%C3%B3n-who-was-hit-by