At last the Pentagon seems to be getting close to unravelling the mystery of why tens of thousands of Gulf War veterans have fallen seriously sick, or died, since the conflict. It has nothing to do with the Iraqi bombs so feared at the time, but more likely a pill given by their own medics is to blame.
60 Minutes (World, 9pm) reports on the findings of a new report. The drug, pyridostigmine bromide, was supposed to protect them from Iraqi nerve gas. But a study underwritten by the Pentagon has concluded it may be responsible for the Gulf War Syndrome, symptoms of which include excruciating muscle and joint pain, headaches, chronic fatigue, memory loss and blackouts.
The report contradicts earlier official claims that the drug had nothing to do with the syndrome. For years, possible explanations have been brushed aside. Officials at the Department of Defence, which funded the study, have accepted the latest findings but say more studies are needed, and they are keeping the drug in their arsenal.
Another victim of warfare is featured in War Horse (National Geographic, 11pm), a two-part series on the history of horses in battle.
This episode, The Iron Horse, focuses on the horse in the Middle Ages, when it became a central image in the code of chivalry. With the advent of the longbow in the 14th century, large, aggressive horses were bred to carry the huge weight of an armour-plated knight. Gunpowder made war an even more devastating experience for this innocent animal.
Moroccan horsemen recall fast, wild cavalry attacks while the Mongols demonstrate raiding tactics used by Genghis Khan.
