Hagel seeks info on Iraq chemical weapons exposure

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has asked his military chiefs and service-branch secretaries to look into questions about the medical care and treatment of about 20 service members who were exposed to chemical weapons during the Iraq war, a senior defense official said Friday.

The official said Hagel made the request during a Thursday meeting and asked them to look into the troops’ medical care and whether they were denied military awards. Hagel is not seeking a formal review or investigation but wants the service leaders to get more information and report back to him, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.