President Trump says Iran’s recent attacks are “in memory of” fallen US soldiers
President Donald Trump said the attack on Iran was “in memory” of American soldiers killed in the Middle East over the weekend.
Nearly 100 U.S. military personnel have been injured in the U.S. war with Iran in a wave of attacks this month, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman said.
In a statement published in X on Monday, July 20, Pentagon Spokesman and Assistant to the Secretary of the Army Sean Parnell said that since July 7, “nearly 100” service members have suffered “some level of injury,” but the majority suffered mild concussions. He said 96% of the injured have returned to duty.
The Pentagon has not disclosed how the injuries occurred.
“They are determined to return to the fight,” Parnell wrote in a post in response to a New York Times article that criticized the Pentagon for not disclosing to the public the injuries of dozens of American service members.
“The Department of the Army rejects the baseless and malicious accusation that it covered up the number of casualties as a blatant lie by a partisan hack of the New York Times bent on smearing the U.S. military and its leadership,” Parnell wrote in the early morning hours of July 20.
In a statement, New York Times spokesman Daniel Rhodes Ha responded: “We are confident in the accuracy of our reporting, following our findings that the Pentagon has withheld information about several Iranian attacks on U.S. forces and their resulting casualties and damage.”
“Our reporting is based on information from several U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters,” she continued. “This is important accountable journalism that helps the American people understand how our government operates.”
The latest figures for Americans injured in the Iran war were released a day after the Pentagon announced the deaths of two American soldiers killed in an Iranian attack in Jordan, bringing the number of military personnel killed since the war broke out in February to 17.
President Trump spoke to reporters about the two soldiers who died on July 19 at Joint Base Andrews, Jordan. They were identified as Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and a Navy lieutenant. Isabella Gonzalez, 19, of Carrollton, Texas.
“Those great people, those great patriots, were fighting that Iran couldn’t have nuclear weapons,” Trump said.
As of July 20, 427 U.S. service members have been injured since the war began on February 28, according to the Pentagon’s Defense Casualty Analysis System.
In March, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that “nearly 90 percent” of the roughly 400 U.S. service members injured at the time had minor injuries.
CBS News reported last month that some soldiers and their families say the Pentagon is downplaying injuries to service members. An Army spokesperson refuted that characterization in a statement to the press.
“The care and health of our soldiers is our top priority,” the spokesperson said. “The allegation that the Army is trying to downplay the soldiers’ injuries is simply not true.”
Contributor: Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY
