dumb question - do soldiers go deaf?

Looks like our boys should definitely get suppressors on their rifles at very least. That'd be a nice American made product for our industries to gear up to make. We're hurting for industry in this country so why not order a few hundred thousand of something we don't have?

Reading these posts, I noticed a lot of guys mention their hearing in the left ear is worse than that in the right ear. My audiologist was fitting me with hearing aids a few years ago (no combat, but a lot of time spent with things that go "boom"), and she mentioned that it was common for people that shoot a lot to have worse hearing on the left side - apparently it has to do with how sound waves travel and reflect off of nearby surfaces. Having a gun stock close to your right ear could actually provide a tiny bit of protection.

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Exactly what mine told me.

Dave Clark Hearing protection



I bought two pair of the Dave Clark one for me and one for my wife.
I use them all of the time and they work well, see the chart.
At a indoor defensive class last month I did have trouble hearing some commands. There were 8 of us shooting up to 200 rounds per class. There were no problems with the noise reduction.
I don't know what they cost anymore say $40.00 but worth the money.



About 4 years ago My wife and I started going to local auto races. The first time the noise was so loud I did not enjoy myself and we left early. Everytime after that we always brought hearing protection. Boy did we get the strange looks. This year many more people and children were wearing protection.

From personal experience:

-a friend of mine did two tours in Iraq with the USMC. His hummer had a M2 .50BMG machine gun mounted on it. He has lost roughly 70% of his hearing in his left ear due to M2 fire in combat.

-another friend did two tours in Iraq with USMC and has mild hearing loss in both ears

-my grandfather was in the military during Korea and later spent years as a dentist using the drill. He has lost most of his hearing.

I have numerous hobbies - guns, cars/racing, air shows - which are awful for hearing.

dumb question - do soldiers go deaf?

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Huh? Whatcha say? Come 'round here so I can see your lips move, young feller.

Yellowfin-

Great idea....until the bad guys who DON'T think worth saving their hearing is worth a few bucks shoot back at you. Also, I haven't seen the suppressor that fits on a 120 smoothbore.

(It always ticks me off when I see children at the range with no hearing protection. The adults are wearing headphones, and the kids have to hold their hands over their ears. You know how long that'll last.)

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I always carry a dozen or more foam earplugs in my range bag and freely offer them to anyone who appears to be without hearing protection. Most people accept; sometimes I find that the people (spectators) are already wearing plugs and cupping their hands over their ears also. I try to be very nice and matter of fact so people will take the free earplugs, especially if it's kids who need them, but I do privately think that the people - often kids like you describe - are victims of bad planning by the person who brought them to the range without supplying protection.

I have also been known to tactfully tell people when their foam earplugs aren't inserted right. Lots of people don't know you have to roll them and push them in, and without doing that you get maybe 1/3 of the protection you would get if properly inserted.

HUH?

Looks like our boys should definitely get suppressors on their rifles at very least.

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Suppressors were tested in Viet Nam. They aren't much help protecting hearing, because it's the super-sonic crack! of the shot that is most damaging to hearing, and suppressors can't suppress that.

The number 1 disability of returning afgan,iraq troops is tinitus (ringing of the ears) and other hearing related problems.

I use 33db canal plugs and 28db bilsom muffs.

The number 1 disability of returning afgan,iraq troops is tinitus (ringing of the ears) and other hearing related problems.

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As a Mechanized Infantry company commander in Viet Nam, I saw the same thing -- hit a mine and you'll have a half-dozen ruptured or bruised ear drums.

I saw one case where a bunker took a direct hit from a mortar -- no one was killed, or even seriously wounded, but several men had ruptured ear drums. One troop -- who obviously could not hear -- kept telling the medic he had ruptured ear drums. The medic looked in his ears and waved him off.

The kid walked off and came back smoking a cigarette. He tapped on the medic's shoulder, and when the medic looked up, the kid took a deep drag, pinched his nose shut, and blew smoke out both ears.

He went out on the next helicopter.

The body does have a sympathetic response that often times, in combat, prevents a huge amount of damage. It is tied in with adreniline cascade as well as reflexive reactions from the muscles associated with the ear. This book actually explains very well, and incidentally is overall, a very fine book to read. For people like us who carry, and try to prepare for the possibility that we might need it one day, he goes into great depth about why training works, and what training works best.

http://www.amazon.com/Combat-Psychology-Physiology-Deadly-Conflict/dp/0964920514

The US Navy was just the beginning of my long slide down to the world of quiet except for the tinnitus. Three years in an engine room with steam turbines screaming, chipping paint with pneumatic chippers was the start. Ear protection was out of the question when standing MM of the watch. You became attuned to the sound of the engine room and often your first sign that something was amiss was a slight disturbance in the "force".

Then there was the rock concerts, big stereos, high dollar earphones, .357 magnums etc. 12 years on a tank in the ARNG really upped the ante with the 105mm and M85 .50 cal. All intermingled with running down the road on a motorcycle finally finished off any thoughts of reasonable hearing. If I had known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself.

So....when the DI yells, "B.S. I can't hear you," he's not just being facetious?

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Yup. I wondered and explored the wondrous outdoors on Parris Island with my very own motivational instructor. I was curious as to why he couldn’t hear me.

A couple of tour's in the "Nam", and.......

Then I was a DI myself at that beautiful little spit of dirt called Hollywood down at MCRD, I couldn’t understand why all my little darlings wouldn‘t speak load enough for me.

Yea, lost the whole top range, and the others are real radicaly screwed up. The worst I had it noise wise, was in Hue, where I was with a security group clearing the houses, grenades M16’s, M60's and of course the M79 and my M14 are awfully loud inside a house and or building.

Oh yea, another gift that keeps on giving, Tinnitus.

To stay alive I no longer fight the NVA, I now must fight the VA.

Go figure.

Fred

To stay alive I no longer fight the NVA, I now must fight the VA.

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You got that right. I think the VA (and Obamacare) is less of a healthcare program than an employment program for bureaucrats.

At the ripe old age of 56, I am just now noticing a significant hearing loss in the human speech frequency range. (Now that's it's too late to do much about it, I am religious about protection.) The military is famous about hearing protection during training, but I never felt comforable wearing anything when in the bush when Charlie was pretty good about his noise discipline. When the SHTF though I don't remember hearing the noise of combat, but the ringing after the fact could keep me awake many a night.

Many years ago, I recommended hearing protection for troops. At that time, mechanical ear plugs that shut out loud noises were available, but not all that effective -- and my suggestion that we use them was rejected. Nowadays, we have electronic hearing protection that enhances hearing low level sounds and protects against dangerous sound. Why we don't issue something like this is a mystery to me.

I think the VA quality is very regional dependant. I am really pleased with my VA hospital, as are my Dad and grandfather (all same hospital).

I have friends that have VA nightmares though, and don't have anything good to say about their VA experiences.

Heck it doesn't even take Military service or gunfire to kill your hearing. I'm 26, only a couple of years ago did I get into shooting more than once a year or so, and I have tinnitus, and difficulty hearing people over background noise. I'm a mechanic, and I mostly blame pneumatic tools. I now use earplugs when running the chainsaw, weed eater, hedge trimmer, lawnmower, or anything else I can think of, but I can't use them at work because with protection in I can't hear the other guys in the shop. I may have to try a set of the electronic ones that permit lower level sounds for work.

My brother did two combat tours in Vietnam. He retired with a pair of hearing aids provided by the military. Too bad.

My dad was 82nd Airborne, and was over a howitzer. He does have slight hearing damage, mostly just low frequency. I told him that when I see guys shooting howitzers on shows, they all cover their ears when it goes off. He told me they were working the gun so fast in battle they didn't have time to cover their ears.

I have a decent amount of experience (8+ years) working at a local Otolaryngology clinic and I have yet to encounter anyone who has been rendered clinically "deaf" due to gunfire exposure or the firing of various military ordinance. Hearing loss? Definately.

It seems that many such individuals (most of them veterans) I have tested demonstrate a considerable loss of hearing (above and beyond what may be considered "age" related) within the 4000-8000 Hz range, typically speaking. In addition, many individuals who have been exposed to the "roar" of airplane engines (on a regular basis) also demonstrate this type of loss.

So no, as a general statement, I dont believe one can be rendered "deaf" by gunfire or anything related. But, quite noticeable hearing loss, whether temporary or permanent (given various circumstances), is almost a certainty when exposed to such elements.

I worked on carrier flight decks around jet aircraft for 22 years. According to the VA, my hearing was better when I retired then when I joined. Go figure...

My Grandpa was a seagoing Marine in WWII on an escort carrier and experienced combat, mostly aerial attacks involving AA from his carrier. I'm sure the airplane engines didn't do him any good either. He definitely had some hearing problems, but 50 years of farming and working with heavy machinery after the war probably didn't help him either.

God, I miss that man.

Hearing protection that enhances hearing but blocks out higher decibels is readily available for a few hundred dollars. If our soldiers aren't being provided with that equipment then shame on us.