More than a decade after U.S. officials first publicly reported mysterious neurological injuries suffered by personnel serving overseas, some military members are now seeking recognition for what happened to them.
The government has long maintained that it is unlikely these injuries were caused by a weapon, citing the absence of any known device capable of inflicting such harm. However, this week on *60 Minutes*, correspondent Scott Pelley reported on a classified mission that appears to have discovered just such a weapon — a directed-energy device that could cause brain injuries consistent with the condition widely known as Havana Syndrome.
### The Emergence of Havana Syndrome
Havana Syndrome first gained attention in 2016 when U.S. personnel stationed at the American embassy in Havana, Cuba, reported hearing strange sounds accompanied by sudden health problems. Since then, hundreds of government employees have reported similar symptoms in locations around the world. Victims say these attacks have caused lasting damage affecting their hearing, vision, balance, and cognitive function.
### “The Worst Pain I Have Ever Felt”
Chris, a lieutenant colonel who worked on highly classified spy satellite programs, retired after two decades of service between the Air Force and Space Force. He shared with *60 Minutes* that he believes he was attacked repeatedly in his home in northern Virginia in 2020. For privacy reasons, he and his wife Heidi asked that their last name not be used.
Chris described suffering severe neurological injuries. “I had significant symptoms,” he explained, noting that doctors later discovered he had lost half the hearing in his left ear. “I had a lot of disorientation, confusion, dizziness. That also began the cognitive changes, particularly the anxiety.”
He recalls that the fifth incident was the most severe. “I woke up with a full-body convulsion,” Chris said. “The worst pain I have ever felt. It felt like a vice gripping my brainstem.”
The symptoms have been permanent. Chris, who had never heard of Havana Syndrome before the 2020 attacks, has sustained significant damage to multiple organ systems and currently takes two neurological drugs daily. The Department of Veterans Affairs now considers him “100%, permanent and total” disabled.
When asked who he believes was responsible, Chris answered without hesitation: Russia. “They’re the only country that I have ever essentially crossed in my career and who made themselves known that they were actively surveilling me,” he said, adding that Russian intelligence had previously shown active interest in his work.
### Families Seek Acknowledgment
For Chris’s wife, Heidi, the frustration is not only about the injuries but also the government’s reluctance to officially recognize the incidents as attacks. “Having served, being a spouse of someone who’s served for 20 years, I understand that that is much broader than our individual lives,” she said. “With that said, I do think that there is enough evidence out there now that some formal acknowledgment that this has happened is good for our nation.”
She added that such recognition would honor the service members and families who have suffered. “You gave us your service and we acknowledge that you were hurt in the line of that service,” Heidi said.
### Debate Over the Purple Heart
Recognition has become especially contentious regarding the Purple Heart — the U.S. military decoration awarded to service members wounded or killed by enemy action while serving.
The medal traces its roots to 1782, when George Washington created the “Badge of Military Merit,” shaped like a purple fabric heart embroidered with the word “merit.” For 150 years, only three people had ever received it. In 1932, Douglas MacArthur revived the award in honor of Washington’s bicentennial and renamed it the Purple Heart. Since then, about 1.8 million have been awarded.
Whether injuries linked to Havana Syndrome qualify remains under debate.
Former senior CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos, who says he experienced a Havana Syndrome attack in 2017, argues the answer should be clear. “It’s not something that should be all too controversial,” he said.
Polymeropoulos recounted a case involving a serviceman treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center who was recommended for the Purple Heart by his superiors. The award was approved, and a ceremony was scheduled. But at the last moment, it was rescinded.
“How do you think that U.S. military officer, who has served faithfully, how do you think they feel?” Polymeropoulos asked.
### The Intelligence Community Dispute
The U.S. government refers to cases linked to Havana Syndrome as “Anomalous Health Incidents,” or AHIs, rather than attacks.
One source familiar with the rescinded medal case said the decision followed the 2023 Intelligence Community Assessment, which found it “very unlikely” a foreign adversary is responsible for AHIs. In other words, AHIs have not been officially linked to enemy action — a requirement for awarding the Purple Heart.
This source said the Army initially issued the award but later canceled it. At that time, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency was Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, who declined to comment on the record. Kruse was dismissed in August 2025 during the administration of Donald Trump. Reports indicated his removal followed public disagreements between the agency and the president over U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
Republican Rep. Rick Crawford, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told *60 Minutes* he had recommended Kruse’s removal for reasons tied directly to “his actions in a specific AHI survivor’s case.”
### Calls for a Reassessment
Despite years of investigations, the government has maintained its position that it is unlikely the injuries were caused by a weapon because no such weapon has been conclusively identified.
The new reporting suggesting a possible directed-energy weapon could reopen that debate.
For victims like Chris, the issue is not only scientific or political — it is deeply personal. He says the government should revisit its conclusions and reassess the evidence.
Receiving a Purple Heart, he said, would bring long-awaited closure. “It would tell me that they understand that I made that sacrifice for the country while serving in the military,” Chris said. “And give me that closure that I’m looking for.”
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*The video above was produced by Brit McCandless Farmer, Oriana Zill de Granados, and Michael Rey. It was edited by Scott Rosann.*
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/military-personnel-with-havana-syndrome-injuries-purple-heart-debate-60-minutes/