Survivors of the Iran-backed attack that killed six US Army Reserve soldiers in Kuwait on March 1 spoke publicly for the first time, telling CBS News that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s account of the strike was false and that their unit was defenseless when the Iranian jet struck.
Summary
- Hegseth described the strike as a “squirrel,” a drone running through an otherwise fenced area; one injured survivor told CBS News directly: “It’s false to paint a ‘crushed’ picture.
- Soldiers told CBS News that they were being moved closer to Iran than away from it in the days before the start of Operation Epic Fury, which was established in what one described as “a bunch of corrugated iron buildings” with explosive barriers that “don’t provide cover from above”; one soldier said the drone defense capability was “non-existent”
- The Pentagon declined to comment on the military’s claims, citing an active investigation; Spokesman Sean Parnell previously wrote to X that “the secure area was reinforced with 6-foot walls” and that “every measure has been taken to protect our soldiers at all levels”
CBS News reported that survivors reported on April 9 that members of the targeted unit were talking about it for the first time. The six soldiers killed were all from the Army’s 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, Iowa: Capt. Cody Khork, Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, Sgt. Declan Coady, Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan. More than 20 others were injured. The attack was the worst for the US military since 2021.
In the hour before the strike, alarms of incoming missiles had sent the unit into a cement bunker. An all-clear signal sounded about 30 minutes before the drone struck. The officers took off their hats and returned to their desks. One survivor described what happened next: “Everything was shaking, your ears were ringing.”
The Pentagon’s account is based on Hegseth’s description of the position as reinforced. Survivors dispute this on a very basic level. They told CBS News that the operations center was a triple-wide trailer converted into an office space, protected by T-walls, which are steel-reinforced concrete barriers that provide blast protection but no cover on top. One soldier described the building in one word: “nobody.” Another said the unit was moved to a “highly unsafe and known target area” with “small stationary explosive layers that could not cover the surface.” The difference between those explanations and the Pentagon’s public statements is at the heart of the dispute.
Meaning of All Clear Signal Failure and Warning System Failure
The military told CBS News that the siren worked well for a week before the attack, sounding when the drones entered the area. In some of those earlier incidents, the drones were already within the perimeter of the base before the siren went off. On March 1, the all-clear was sounded about 30 minutes before the fatal strike, sending soldiers back to their positions just before the strike. Two of the three military officials CBS News spoke to separately said they did not recall hearing warning sirens before the drone exploded.
Why This Matter Matters Beyond the Immediate Injuries
As crypto.news reported, the trajectory of the Iran war was the main signal of the market at the beginning of 2026, with each increase or improvement of the cessation of fire directly moving the price of bitcoin and the broader crypto markets. As crypto.news noted, the signals of the country’s political credibility from the Pentagon and the White House during the conflict affected the risk appetite of investors in all asset classes. Survivors’ accounts are expected to make renewed calls to Congress for hearings on casualty reporting and military protection standards in theater.
