That’s just weird–no one was taking insecticides to protect themselves from nerve gas, they were taking the pyridostigmine bromide as a prophylaxis in case of nerve gas, and using the insecticide to protect against insects, specifically sand flies.

That’s clear in the earlier story, Chemical Exposures in Gulf War Caused Veterans’ Illness.

But see the original article here, and also see, and a reply to it here, indicating its flaws, and more generally the work of Michael Fumento here.