U.S. Soldiers Not Alerted to Gas Peril in Gulf, Paper Says

American soldiers went unprotected from chemical gas during the Gulf War after the United States was warned it was coming, Czech soldiers who monitored release of the gas told the New York Times.

“We were immediately putting on our suits and gas masks, while the Americans were walking around without their masks--without any of the equipment,” Vaclav Hlavac, a retired chief warrant officer in the Czech army, was quoted as saying in today’s editions.

The Pentagon released logs last month confirming that the Czechs made reports to the Americans of gas being released.

However, the Pentagon said then that reported incidents were not considered a threat to U.S. forces. The Pentagon also denied at the time that U.S. commanders were hiding in sealed shelters while telling soldiers in the field to disregard reports of gas releases.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon said more than 15,000 U.S. soldiers may have been exposed to nerve gas.

The Defense Department has said there is little scientific evidence suggesting that soldiers exposed to small amounts of chemical weapons would suffer long-term health problems.