I was willing to die for my country; I never expected to be betrayed by it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dez Del Barba is a retired U.S. Army specialist.

Just 35 days into my military career at Fort Benning, Ga., I faced a crisis no U.S. service member should ever endure.

Group A streptococcus — better known as strep throat — had been spreading rampantly on base since October 2018, months before I arrived on Jan. 7, 2019. As my symptoms worsened, base medical services blew me off multiple times. By the time I was admitted to the ICU, 56 soldiers in my barracks had tested positive; 405 cases were confirmed across just two brigades. Christopher Wellington Huss, who lived in the same barracks I did, died at 22 years old from cardiac arrest caused by strep throat infection.

I was a healthy and active senior at Sonoma State University who had been athletic throughout my youth and all of my high school years and had been formally accepted into the U.S. Army officer candidate program, but within days, a common infection that base medical staff should have treated with a $2 dose of penicillin, escalated into necrotizing fasciitis, the deadly flesh-eating bacteria that ravages muscle, fascia and tissue at a rate of an inch per hour. Doctors told my family they would do their best, but my 10% chance of survival was in God’s hands.

My left leg was amputated above the knee. My right leg was severely damaged, salvaged, but left with a drop foot. The infection spread to both of my armpits, which required repeated debridement, resulting in nerve damage and range of motion issues in both of my arms. (Debridement means removal of dead/infected tissue and then replacing the area with my own donor skin.) I underwent 43 surgeries, with the skin grafts covering more than 50% of my body. I lost my right glute, leaving me unable to sit properly.

The trauma, pain and overwhelming sense of loss led me to a suicide attempt on Nov. 12, 2019. I survive and live with severe post-traumatic stress.

What happened to me wasn’t an injury sustained in battle — risks U.S. service members accept when we volunteer. This was medical malpractice that left me permanently disabled. The military’s own investigation did not dispute these facts, finding there had indeed been medical malpractice.

Because of egregious military medical malpractice cases like mine, Congress created what was intended to be a mechanism for affected service members and their families to achieve accountability and a modicum of justice through the Military Medical Accountability Act of 2019 (H.R. 2422, S. 2451), enacted as Section 731 of the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

Section 731 created a claims process that marked a historic acknowledgment that service members deserve recourse for medical malpractice. However, my case demonstrates that the Department of Defense is perverting the law, betraying the law’s intent and ultimately betraying all active-duty service members.

The process does not occur in a civilian court. Claims are handled within the DOD. There is no judge, no jury, no public proceeding, no discovery. Decisions are made behind closed doors, based on regulations created by the DOD. And once a final decision is issued, there is little to no opportunity for further review.

My case went through the full administrative process. On Jan. 10, 2025, with the assistance of my attorney, we submitted more than 400 pages of medical, vocational and financial evidence. Less than 10 business days later, on Jan. 22, 2025, the U.S. Army decided my total Economic Damages. On Feb. 24, 2026, the Defense Health Agency Appeals Board issued a “final and conclusive” decision, affirming the “offer”: $22,423.

More than 400 pages of evidence — detailing amputations, 43 surgeries, permanent disability, and a lifetime of impact — reduced in 10 business days to a number that doesn’t come close to reflecting the reality of what was lost and the resources required for me to move forward. The DOD went so far as to refuse, even, to acknowledge the need and cost of my service dog.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth frequently offers public prayers for the safety and spiritual well-being of service members. In his first Pentagon worship service, he asked for “the wisdom to see what is right in each and every day … [and] the courage to do what is right in obedience to [God’s] will.”

I have made multiple requests for a brief meeting with senior leadership — to ask questions, to seek transparency, and to ensure the process was applied correctly and in alignment with the law and principles it was designed to uphold. All of these requests have thus far been denied. Initially, the reason given was that my case was still under review. Now that the process is complete, I’m asking again.

I served only 35 days in uniform before preventable medical negligence permanently disabled me and ended my military career before it could begin. My experience highlights the urgent need to strengthen and amend Section 731 of the FY2020 NDAA. Congress should also consider passage of the HERO Act (H.R. 6730), legislation that would amend Chapter 171 of Title 28, United States Code, to allow service members to bring suit against the United States for injuries and deaths caused by improper medical care.

This is not just about me — I am one of hundreds, likely thousands, of service members who have endured egregious medical malpractice within the military health care system. Those who volunteer to serve this nation deserve transparency, fairness and access to the same standards of justice available to the civilians they swore to protect.

Every service member who puts on the uniform does so understanding that they may be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice. But they do so trusting that if something goes wrong — especially something preventable due to gross medical neglect, the system will treat them fairly, honor the law and respond with integrity.

Our national security depends on the men and women who choose to serve, which means our national security depends on service members trusting one another and their leadership. Without accountability and transparency, there is no trust. Service members deserve more than prayers, gratitude and promises from the Oval Office — they deserve accountability. Our national security depends on it.