Transcript
Col. Paul Little, M.D., explains how hearing loss, which commonly results from exposure to loud noise experienced while working with noisy machinery and equipment or participating in activities that involve gunfire or aircrafts, can be prevented by using proper ear protection (e.g., earplugs). Two former military personnel also describe their experiences with hearing loss in hopes of underscoring the seriousness of the issue and encouraging current service members to take proper precautions.
Female Correspondent
Okay, Scott. If you don’t learn anything else today, learn this. What’s the biggest disability that soldiers claim when they get out of the Army?
Male Correspondent
It’s gotta be back problems.
Female Correspondent
Wrong! It’s hearing loss. And coming in at number two is tinnitus.
Male Correspondent
Tinn-eye-tus
Female Correspondent
Tinn-it-tus
Male Correspondent
Bless You.
Female Correspondent
Tinnitus is that constant ringing in your ears. And if you’re deployed, there’s a big chance you’re going to lose some of that hearing if you don’t protect yourself. Dr. Paul Little tells us more.
Dr. Paul Little
All his military career, he was an infantry solider – M16s, M60s, .50 cal. He’s the man you called when your weapon jammed.
SPC (Ret) Terry Lane
And when a weapon broke down, I had to go to the firing line to fix the weapon to get it back up to fire again.
Dr. Paul Little
So many trips to the firing line, in fact, Sergeant Terry Lane began to lose his hearing.
SPC (Ret) Terry Lane
I ran up on the firing line without my hearing protection fully in, more or less just putting it there to let it be seen and everybody was happy, which it was never seated right in my ears.
Dr. Paul Little
Colonel Joe Thomas lost much of his hearing in years of airborne operations.
Col Joe Thomas
I didn’t use what was available for me. I would do that if I had it to do over. Unfortunately, we don’t have it to go over. You only have one shot at it, and I missed my shot.
Dr. Paul Little
That’s why Army hearing experts say wear it or lose it.
LTC Marjorie Grantham
One round of any weapon that we fire is enough to cause permanent hearing damage to the sensory organs of hearing. And if you’re not protected, then that is a permanent change to that part of the ear.
Dr. Paul Little
But on-the-job hearing loss is preventable. We’ve got lots of earplugs but, like this one, you’ve got to learn how to use them right.
Doug Ohlin
So the Army has incorporated on the standard case this insertion device. And even when you’re wearing a helmet, you just set it in here and rock and wiggle, and you’ve got that thing in right.
Dr. Paul Little
This version of the Combat Arms Earplug, or CAE, has settings for weapons fire and for steady state noise like flying in a helicopter. The latest version of the CAE features a rocker switch to shift from weapons to continuous noise. The bottom line is a little extra effort now to protect your hearing will pay big dividends later in your career. Dr. Paul Little, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.