600 Troops Exposed to Poison Gas in Iraq

Since 2003, more than 600 American service members have reported to military medical staff members that they believe they were exposed to chemical warfare agents in Iraq, but the Pentagon did not follow up with the cases. The Pentagon only recently disclosed the reports after the New York Times reported last month that troops found degraded chemical weapons from the 1980s hidden in caches or makeshift bombs, but no active weapons of mass destruction program. The internal review of Pentagon records was ordered by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. The Pentagon says it will now set up a toll-free national telephone hotline for service members and veterans to report potential exposures and seek medical evaluation.