By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A Massachusetts National Guard major and Boston firefighter was injured in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait that killed six U.S. service members on March 1, officials said.
• The attack struck a U.S. tactical operations center at Port Shuaiba used by service members, part of the 2026 conflict with Iran.
• The injured National Guard member, identified as Maj. Mark Garcia, is recovering overseas from wounds sustained in the blast.
• Gov. Maura Healey said Garcia was “on site” during the explosion and will be welcomed home once his recovery progresses.
BOSTON, MA — A Boston firefighter who also serves as a major in the Massachusetts Army National Guard was among those injured in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait that killed six U.S. service members earlier this month, state officials said.
The attack on March 1 struck a tactical operations center at the Port Shuaiba, a civilian port near Kuwait City, where U.S. troops were stationed as part of ongoing military operations linked to the conflict with Iran.
Gov. Maura Healey said Maj. Mark Garcia, assigned to Engine 50 in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood, was wounded in the blast and is currently recovering overseas, with plans to celebrate his eventual return to Massachusetts.
The strike also killed six members of the U.S. military assigned to logistical and support roles at the facility, and dozens of other service members were reportedly wounded in the incident, U.S. officials have said.
Officials have not released further information about the nature of Garcia’s injuries, and details from the ongoing Pentagon and field investigations were not immediately available.