Stephen Ramsbottom says he has had to "build my own case for everything"
Stephen RamsbottomU.S. Army major wounded in the Port Shuaiba strike, speaking to the AP
Maj. Stephen Ramsbottom, who had shrapnel removed from his head after the strike, told the AP that he had had to build his own case for everything in his medical care.
“I’ve had to build my own case for everything”
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)Before the quotation
The AP reported that Ramsbottom, who had shrapnel removed from his head, said he waited over four months to receive his MRI results.
After the quotation
He added that it was "very frustrating".
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether the military failed the troops wounded in the March 1 drone strike at Port Shuaiba, in protecting them and in caring for them afterward. Ramsbottom, who the AP reports waited over four months for his MRI results, says he has had to "build my own case for everything". That criticizes his care after the strike, so we labeled it Condemned. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional; it loses because he credits no part of the care he received.
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United States Department of Defense
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The Dispute Index. "Stephen Ramsbottom says he has had to "build my own case for everything"". First published: 2026-10-11. Last updated: 2026-10-11. https://disputeindex.com/events/5485-maj-stephen-ramsbottom-who-had-shrapnel-removed-from