One of the more scandalous secrets from America’s decade in Iraq is coming to light.
Defense officials have now acknowledged
that, since 2003, more than 600 American service members have reported
that they believe they were exposed to chemical warfare agents in Iraq.
The Pentagon failed to recognize the scope of the problem, track it
adequately or offer proper treatment to those who may have been injured.
In fact the problem only became public when The Times’s Chris Chivers reported last month
on the cases of 17 American service members who were injured by sarin
or sulfur mustard agent. Since then, he has learned of eight more cases.
Meanwhile the Pentagon, at Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s urging, has
done an internal review of its records, suggesting the scope of the
problem is far greater.
The stories of service
members who believed they were exposed to chemical weapons, and ignored
by their own military, are heartbreaking. A former Army sergeant was
exposed to a sulfar mustard agent when he helped destroy buried chemical
artillery shells in 2008. When he later developed health problems and
raised a possible connection to chemical weapons, he said no one
believed him and the link was dismissed.
READ MORE
No comments:
Post a Comment