Trump visited soldiers at Walter Reed — but not the 14 wounded in the Iran war
President Trump took time to visit members of the U.S. military during his trip Tuesday to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, but he did not see any of the 14 soldiers wounded in the war with Iran who were also recovering at the hospital, according to the family of one of the soldiers and another military official familiar with Mr. Trump’s visit.
The White House said Mr. Trump met with service members during his six-month check-up at an Army medical center, but repeatedly declined to say whether the president saw soldiers injured in Operation Epic Fury.
“President Trump was honored to meet with our wonderful members and medical staff while at Walter Reed Medical Center,” said a White House spokesman, who declined to provide any guidance on why the president did not meet with soldiers wounded in the Iran war.
Sergeant Cory Hicks was working at a military base in Kuwait that was hit by an Iranian jet in March, within the first 24 hours of the conflict. This attack killed six American soldiers and wounded more than 20. Hicks is one of six from the Kuwait attack still recovering at Walter Reed. He had multiple injuries, a severed spleen and a traumatic brain injury.
“I’ve come a long way – that’s for sure,” Hicks told CBS Minnesota last month. “I have spent 19 years in the army so far and I love serving my country, but this [recovery from wounds] it’s a different battle. You have to fight when you’re hurt.”
The day before his visit to Walter Reed, during his Memorial Day speech at Arlington Cemetery, Mr. Trump paid tribute to the 13 soldiers who died in Operation Epic Fury, calling them “incredible souls” who “gave their lives” to ensure Iran would never have a nuclear weapon.
Mr. Trump on Wednesday at a Cabinet meeting also called the 13 “great people” and said that losing them was “a terrible thing.”
“We want to lose as few as possible, we want as few as possible injured. We are very careful, but war is war. War is dangerous.”
In March, Mr. Trump and attend a dignified transfer of the six soldiers who died in the invasion of Kuwait and six who died in the accident of pouring fuel over Iraq.
It is customary for American presidents to visit wounded soldiers. In 2004, during the Iraq War, President George W. Bush said after visiting Walter Reed, that it was a privilege to “meet the wounded who made the decision to sacrifice the security of this nation and freedom in the world… It is a privilege to meet their parents or their wives, their children, the brave souls who support their loved one with all their heart.”
In 2017, during his first term, Mr. Trump himself visited a military hospital to present a Purple Heart to a soldier who was wounded in Afghanistan.
Mr. Trump has previously faced criticism for his portrayal of wounded service members. During his first term, he said the soldiers injured in the 2020 Iranian airstrike on the US base in Iraq were not worth mentioning because they suffered “headaches,” which he described as “very bad.”
CBS news investigation later they found a number of soldiers with brain injuries who were denied a Purple Heart as part of an effort to minimize their injuries and avoid harming mr. Later one committed suicide.
Mr. Trump he again denied the reports He called US Marines who died in World War I “suckers” and “losers” after canceling a 2018 trip to the French cemetery where they are buried.
According to the Department of Defense, 409 US soldiers were injured in the war in Iran. Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified to Congress that about 90% have returned to work.
Soldiers injured in the invasion of Kuwait he suffered severe wounds and head injuries. Hicks is now a soldier in recovery at Walter Reed and has described a major psychotic attack.
“I lost six of my friends who were sitting next to me and that’s a struggle inside,” he said in an April interview. “The wounds don’t seem to be hard to heal. Most of them were farther from the explosion than I was, so when you go through something like that, you’re dealing with a lot of guilt.”
