They did the same thing during Vietnam. It was usually considered punishment to have to stir the shit.
After the First Gulf War my ship, among many, was down wind of the oil well fires. We could smell the strong fumes going over the flight deck for days. I developed in a very short time problems with my digestive tract and for a time had problems with my skin (the exposed parts; forearm and hands) that was attributed to exposure to a nerve agent. So when I hear some idiot talk about no WMDs, I know that they don't know shit.