"What? What?" Failure To Supply Earplugs Cost Thousands of GIs Their Hearing

[babylonsister]

"What? What?" Failure To Supply Earplugs Cost Thousands of GIs Their Hearing
Submitted by davidswanson on Sat, 2009-02-14

By Sherwood Ross


Thousands of GIs have suffered preventable hearing loss because they were not supplied with earplugs to reduce the din of battle. Many have a permanent ringing in their ears they will suffer throughout their lives.

The condition is widespread. In 2006, the Veterans Administration paid out more than a half billion dollars to veterans with tinnitus, a condition which affects nearly half of those troops exposed to blasts.

The U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine conducted a study 141,000 GIs between April, 2003, and March, 2004, that showed tinnitus --- ringing in the ears---accounted for more than 30 per cent of post-deployment-related diagnoses.

“There were not adequate supplies of earplugs to fit all deploying soldiers,” the Center found. “There was also failure of an Army medical readiness automation system…to provide unit commanders with information regarding troops having adequate hearing protection…Finally, there is evidence…that soldiers having blast injuries may not have been referred to audiology for adequate evaluation and treatment,” the Center said.

In part as a result of this malfeasance, of the 1.3 million soldiers that have been deployed in the two current wars, 70,000 are collecting disability pay for tinnitus and 58,000 more are collecting for hearing loss. That adds up to 128,000 GIs, or one in 10 deployed.

more...

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/39825

[Deep13]

1. A set of ear plugs costs about a quarter.

:mad:

[Oceansaway]

2. K&R....n/t

[Vincardog]

3. And they could not rip off cigarette filters?

[4lbs]

5. Or wads of toilet/tissue paper.

n/t

[Orrex]

7. Both of those substitutes are, of course, close to worthless

But I'm sure that you were kidding.

[babylonsister]

6. So they shouldn't have been supplied with ear plugs? Sorry, I'm more

inclined to blame the military than the soldiers.

[Vincardog]

8. If you were placed in a potentially harmful position, would you rather remedy the situation or blame

the military?

[babylonsister]

10. Maybe they weren't aware of the damage that was being done. nt

[Mr. Hyde]

14. Who has time to stick things (anything) in their ears when the bad guys start shooting at you?

Me, I'd just return fire and worry about the ringing in my ears later... assuming I survived of course.

[liberalmuse]

4. That is the first thing we got in basic training.

This makes me sick! *$&#^@@^ Bush!!!

[Solly Mack]

9. Oh yeah. Mine can't hear worth a damn.

[Thothmes]

11. When I was in the Navy

for the last 15 years I served, all engineering personel were required to have hearing test annually. We would write people up for not wearing hearing protection in the engineering spaces. I spent a considerable amount of optar purchasing hearing protection for my sailors.

[babylonsister]

12. My husband was in the CG/Aviation. They were 'required' to wear

ear protection also.

[MadMaddie]

13. Again..this is criminal. Who decided that ear plugs were

not necessary? The US spent untold billions on a worthless building but they couldn't spend a quarter on earplugs for soldiars. Was this another Rummy decison?