Pentagon withheld information about decades-old chemical weapons during Iraq War, report claims FoxNews.com

2014-10-15T06:58:44-04:00

Thoughts...
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/10/15/us-troops-wounded-by-decades-old-chemical-weapons-during-iraq-war-report-claims/

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/14/world/middleeast/us-casualties-of-iraq-chemical-weapons.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=Banner&module=span-ab-top-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

Response by MSG Wade Huffman made Oct 15 at 2014 7:06 AM

2014-10-15T07:06:00-04:00

Adding the link to the story since it wasn't provided in the original post:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/10/15/us-troops-wounded-by-decades-old-chemical-weapons-during-iraq-war-report-claims/

Also, for clarification, this is a Fox News story based on a New York Times report. Here is one of the articles from the Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/14/world/middleeast/us-casualties-of-iraq-chemical-weapons.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=Banner&module=span-ab-top-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

And a link to the NY Times documentary on the issue:

http://www.nytimes.com/video/world/middleeast/ [login to see] 0160/chemical-secrets-of-the-iraq-war.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=LargeMediaHeadlineSum&module=b-lede-package-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 15 at 2014 10:28 AM

2014-10-15T10:28:03-04:00

I don't understand why the pentagon would sit on something like this for so long. The reason that we went into Iraq was for the WMD's and then were led to believe that they didn't exist. I'm sure that the American people would have felt a lot differently about the whole situation if this information had been revealed in the beginning.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 15 at 2014 3:42 PM

2014-10-15T15:42:05-04:00

Time magazine also ran an article on it:

http://time.com/3508881/iraq-isis-chemical-weapons-report/

Additionally, members of one of my old units had stories about running into the stuff while they were over there, so apparently it wasn't just a one-time thing.

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member is right, this is what we went into Iraq for, which makes it somewhat of a mystery why this wasn't better publicized.

According to the Fox News article, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel stated that "the Defense Department made public its discovery of these munitions as far back as 2006 and acknowledged the likelihood that more could be found." If that's true, I haven't seen any sign of the report, I only heard about it from firsthand accounts before this. Anyone else know of any previous official reports publishing this?

As for where we go from here...this stuff in the hands of ISIS is not a pleasant thought. Think IEDs that incorporate chemical agents...nasty stuff whether directed at military or civilian targets.

Report: U.S. Kept Mum After Finding Old Chemical Weapons in Iraq

Aged or abandoned munitions encountered between 2004 and 2011

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 15 at 2014 5:45 PM

2014-10-15T17:45:33-04:00

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member, I heard that the Iraqis developed/created the chemical weapons with U.S. help during the Iran-Iraq war. I suspect that may have something to do with why the Pentagon said nothing. Kind of hard to say that Iraq had chemical weapons, and then have to say, "Well, yes, we did provide them to the Iraqis."

Here's a long story at the NY Times about this issue:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/14/world/middleeast/us-casualties-of-iraq-chemical-weapons.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1

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Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 16 at 2014 12:59 AM

2014-10-16T00:59:16-04:00

The sad thing is it's all about politics. Too many just don't care for the truth even with facts and evidence in front of them.

Response by SPC David S. made Oct 16 at 2014 1:14 AM

2014-10-16T01:14:32-04:00

Thus the assertion that Iraq had WMD cause we gave them to them.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 16 at 2014 1:35 AM

2014-10-16T01:35:16-04:00

There are lots of secrets out there....

You look into things and find out...some of our famous senators, congressmen, presidential aides, presidential influential friends were either aiding the enemy or out and out spies working against the U.S.. You won't see that in print until several decades after the bad person is dead.

We keep secrets. There are lots and lots of reasons to keep secrets - some of the reasons we keep secrets is so everyone is the world won't know what those secrets are. Not every secret being held back is related to area 51, or some government conspiracy to create FEMA death camps. There are reasons we keep secrets.

I've never understood why people have to have the smoking gun on everything.....

Response by COL Vincent Stoneking made Oct 16 at 2014 9:00 AM

2014-10-16T09:00:54-04:00

In fairness, some of this was actually made available at the time - however, nobody wanted to report it. I have a friend who (as a contractor) was involved in moving several tons of "yellow cake" uranium from Iraq to Canada several years back. This would be the same "yellow cake" that people stated didn't exist. It did get reported in several sources for a few days, but it was a very subdued reporting. Nowhere near the level of the "Saddam had no nuclear program" reporting.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/25546334/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/secret-us-mission-hauls-uranium-iraq/#.VD--5b6F9ws

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/07/the_550_tons_of_yellowcake.html

Secret U.S. mission hauls uranium from Iraq

The last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program — a huge stockpile of concentrated natural uranium — reached a Canadian port Saturday.

Response by SSG William Patton made Oct 16 at 2014 2:13 PM

2014-10-16T14:13:14-04:00

I believed from the beginning that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, e.g. chemical weapons. They had a program to develope and manufacture chemical weapons, and we sold them Sarin to use against our common enemy, Iran. Saddam had no qualms about using them either. When we decided to clip his wings and go look for them, they were not to be found initially, but as soldiers moved around the country, chemical weapons caches were located and some soldiers were adversely affected. My issue is with leadership in this nation withholding that information for political purposes. Politics, like we see today, must stop if we are to have a republic. It falls on the shoulders of those on this forum, and others like us, to ensure the republic survives. Better dead than live under the yoke of tyranny. Semper Tyrannis!

Response by 1LT Nick Kidwell made Oct 16 at 2014 2:48 PM

2014-10-16T14:48:09-04:00

I always knew they were somewhere...abandoned, buried in the desert where only Saddam's cronies knew where they were, given to Syria...whatever.

Saddam was not the kind of guy who would have complied with the UN weapons inspectors. He just...wasn't.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 19 at 2014 1:10 PM

2014-10-19T13:10:46-04:00

I don't now what I think about this. I don't think they withheld. We gave Saddam Hussien most of those weapons in the 80's and knew they were there when we went into Iraq in 1991 and in 2003. I don't understand why Bush didn't tell the public about this when he was ridiculed for there being no WMD's found. The only thing I can think is that they didn't mention it because of the potential blow back from the public when people realized we helped create the chemicals.
The unit I was with in 03-04 encountered chemical weapons while we were there and for years afterwards I told people about it. Especially, those who tried to say there were no WMD's in Iraq. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 19 at 2014 6:12 PM

2014-10-19T18:12:19-04:00

Not sure how all this works. We go kill someone in Pakistan and the world knows within hours what new technology we used that was all secret. We do our job that isn't told to anyone. So it does not surprise me that this did not get published, but not sure as to why or who. In reality it might be better not to tell if ISIS or their old self were going to be looking in the area as we could not be everywhere. But hey "they" seem to know before we do at times.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Oct 19 at 2014 6:21 PM

2014-10-19T18:21:29-04:00

SSG Selwyn Bodley please post the source that should accompany this thread.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Oct 19 at 2014 6:30 PM

2014-10-19T18:30:19-04:00

Some Old Chem Weapons Ordnance. Not that impressed. Wasn't long after I left DC and the South Korean Ambassador decided he wanted a pool in his backyard. When they were digging they found some old WWI Experimental Chemical Weapons Material that one of the colleges in DC was developing and buried it there at the end of the War.

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Oct 19 at 2014 6:40 PM

2014-10-19T18:40:09-04:00

My thoughts are, why now? Why has the main stream press continued to aid and abet the Obama Administration? Why do the majority of American not know, or care about, the facts in this. Then at the end of the day, does this really make a difference in how I raise and defend my family? If no one else is going to care, why should?

Response by MSgt Eric Roseberry made Oct 19 at 2014 8:07 PM

2014-10-19T20:07:45-04:00

I miss the brutal dictators who knew how to keep the religious fanatics inside their borders In check. Afghanistan was fine e until the Russian invasion...Iraq was fine until we invaded. The Kuwaitis really were stealing oil.

Response by MSG Karl Arrington made Oct 19 at 2014 10:18 PM

2014-10-19T22:18:41-04:00

I'm not so sure the Pentagon sat on the information. I recall some quiet news reports on the chemical weapons that were quickly dismissed because the weapons were "too old" and "degraded" to be used as WMD's. On another note, it seems that many of us have talked to CBRN personnel who personally laid eyes on the weapons and knew they are still capable of mass destruction.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2014 12:38 AM

2014-10-20T00:38:58-04:00

The masses don't want to hear the truth. But they want to hear all about hope and change.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2014 10:01 AM

2014-10-20T10:01:55-04:00

I don't understand why this is a story. If it was supposed to be a secret, it was one of the worst kept of all time.

Those with their heads in locations other than the open air might have been taken by surprise.

Response by SGT Dwain Inman made Oct 20 at 2014 10:25 PM

2014-10-20T22:25:50-04:00

Every time we get involved in the middle east it comes back to bite us in the ass. Stop selling arms to countries that we KNOW for a fact are not our allies. This president has armed our enemies to the teeth

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2014 11:17 PM

2014-10-20T23:17:56-04:00

Not surprised in the least. They found too many remnants and residual evidence, and couldn't OPSEC it fast enough. Just enough info got out to start the conspiracy theories, but by then, the crux of the matter had been sanitized.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2014 7:16 AM

2014-10-21T07:16:57-04:00

I thought people knew, EOD found them every so often in I was in Iraq. I thought people didn't think it applied.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2014 6:22 PM

2014-10-21T18:22:34-04:00

SSG Selwyn Bodley Wouldn't those be classified as WMDs? LOL

Response by Cpl Ray Fernandez made Oct 21 at 2014 8:40 PM

2014-10-21T20:40:53-04:00

There were a few plots foiled outside of Iraq during the Bush years. There was a plot by Al Qaeda to use chemical weapons in Jordan in an attempt to attack the embassies there. There was also a report that was released that confirmed that a National Guard unit came across WMD as well.

I also read a few unclassified reports of the discovery of WMD in Iraq by a National Guard unit in about 2006 that wasn't picked up widely by any news outlets. Here's a link to the Defense.gov page I found the report on.

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=15918

Jordanian terror plot
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/04/26/jordan.terror/

There was a more recent terror plot foiled in Jordan again that was to involve chemical weapons.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/jordan-disrupts-major-al-qaeda-terrorist-plot/2012/10/21/e26354b4-1ba7-11e2-9cd5-b55c38388962_story.html

CNN.com - Jordan says major al Qaeda plot disrupted - Apr 26, 2004

Jordanian authorities said Monday they have broken up an alleged al Qaeda plot that would have unleashed a deadly cloud of chemicals in the heart of Jordan's capital, Amman.

Response by SGT Craig Northacker made Oct 22 at 2014 5:32 PM

2014-10-22T17:32:41-04:00

The Pentagon has a long history of withholding information - even WW1 veterans had a hard time getting compensated for being gassed. Atomic and nuclear explosions, bio and chemical testing without their knowledge, Agent Orange, GWI, oops, weren't those WMD supplied to Iraq by the US in the 1980's? And, of course, the fact that there were no biological sniffers in theater meant that since there were no readings no bio exposures existed. The VA follows their lead.

Response by Sgt Daniel V. made Oct 23 at 2014 2:36 AM

2014-10-23T02:36:08-04:00

What our government leaders have done and will do should not influence the Honor of Service for our Military members active, reserve, retired, veteran or otherwise but should encourage the thirst of information among us to create an air of diligence and responsibility when electing these leaders and for those few who chose to serve as leaders within the local, state, and national levels. John F. Kennedy warned about the transparency of Government to the governed. It is not their job to decide what we as a people are mature enough to handle but only if it falls within the NARROWEST margins of National Security to withhold. I believe it is not only our right but duty to have all the necessary and prudent, as well as mundane and moderately relevant, information as a people in order to make full and informed descisions about policies, crisis, peace, war and conflict and other important choices as governed patriots.

That said, this news should raise concern about what our government thinks about relevant and prudent information, not just in this administration but in the past and especially the future. A well prepared warrior is an informed one.

I have become more than concerned about the compentcy of Media outlets as well their motives when it comes to disemination of information. May God help us for we are in an era where the governed of a supposed free land are being spoon feed necessary information and drowned in entertainment. I feel I have heard of a tragic story like ours, perhaps it was the Roman Empire or the British Empire. All I know is neither had a happy ending.