Nine Marines and 29 sailors were wounded this month while supporting the Iran war, according to figures the Pentagon revealed late last week.

The 38 newly listed casualties represent a sharp increase as fighting resumed following a lull in August.

The figures appeared in an update to the Defense Casualty Analysis System, the Pentagon database that tracks personnel wounded or killed in action.

All 38 were placed in the database’s “overseas operations” category.

The Department of War has used that category since July 7, 2026, for casualties recorded “since Operation Epic Fury has concluded.”

Since that designation began, 50 sailors have been injured in the war, with most of those injuries occurring this month.

As of Sept. 23, the overseas operations category listed 443 troops wounded in action.

Another 417 personnel were wounded during Operation Epic Fury, bringing the combined number of wounded U.S. military personnel to 860.

Every one of those wounds resulted from hostile action, according to the figures.

Image Credit: DoW

The mounting casualty count provides a stark measure of the injuries sustained by American forces during the conflict.

The latest update arrived as the Army announced the death of an officer this month from causes not attributed to hostile action. That officer was the 19th official U.S. military death connected to the war.

The Washington Post previously reported that at least four more service members had died in the Middle East since Feb. 28 than the Defense Casualty Analysis System shows. The source did not provide additional details about those deaths.

Since hostilities restarted in July following the breakdown of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, casualties have overwhelmingly come from the Army. Those casualties include deaths in Iraq and Jordan.

An additional 374 soldiers were wounded during the last three months. Ten airmen were also wounded in July, according to the casualty figures.

The September update more than doubled the number of sailors listed as wounded in the war since July 7.

It also marked the first reported instance of Marines being injured in the conflict since March.

The database does not identify the nature of the injuries or provide details about the incidents that caused them.

It does, however, list all 38 of the new Navy and Marine Corps casualties as occurring in September.

Image Credit: DoW

A Navy official said that the “Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) and Navy Casualty officials have fully validated reports to ensure accurate service records.” The statement addressed the process used to verify the newly listed casualties.

The Navy declined to identify the names or units of the 29 sailors. It also did not disclose where the sailors were located when they were wounded, but said they “have returned to duty service.”

The Marine Corps directed questions about its nine wounded personnel to U.S. Central Command. U.S. Central Command did not respond, leaving the Pentagon database and outside reporting as the available accounts cited in the source.

NBC News, citing multiple sources, reported that eight of the Marines were injured after an Iranian missile struck a ship that did not belong to the U.S. Navy.

The Marines were aboard the vessel in the Strait of Hormuz when it was hit.

Those sources described the injuries as minor and said they ranged from smoke inhalation to possible concussions. The Pentagon had not announced an incident that day.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations organization did report that a cargo ship had been struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz.