A postscript to my own comment, just chatting about the situation with an old Digger mate, Vince (vincepg@optusnet.com.au) who fought without hearing protection in Korea, Malaya and Vietnam, and his comment is:
"Vince, Can you tell me what hearing protection, if any, 3RAR used while in the line?"
"None! Thats why most riflemen are bloody well deaf."
The referenced url is on my Korean War website. Virtually none of us who fought in the Korean War used hearing protection in combat, apart from those in mortar or artillery positions. Many of us, in the comfort of our homes, wish we had. If back in the turmoil of combat, well, we might still prefer to take our chances.
The problem is that the effects of noise vary among individuals, as does our self-healing and permanancy of damage from the 140 db or so rifle blast. Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) We learn this on the firing line in boot camp, or elsewhere. Also, the true effect of combat sounds on hearing is in a, possibly improbable, distant future. The risk of being killed by missing some audible clue before the firing begins is immediate, and the damage definitely permanent.
This was true of all infantry I knew of, not just Americans. My Aussie Digger pals, for instance, never used hearing protection except in mortar positions. Myself, I still hear fairly well, but always use protection on the firing range (still a member of NRA.)
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A postscript to my own comment, just chatting about the situation with an old Digger mate, Vince (vincepg@optusnet.com.au) who fought without hearing protection in Korea, Malaya and Vietnam, and his comment is:
"Vince, Can you tell me what hearing protection, if any, 3RAR used while in the line?"
"None! Thats why most riflemen are bloody well deaf."
Yes, but those still around
Ahhhh, but the oldies are the goodies.
Judy's red slippers in Wizard of Oz stepped away for $666,000
The referenced url is on my Korean War website. Virtually none of us who fought in the Korean War used hearing protection in combat, apart from those in mortar or artillery positions. Many of us, in the comfort of our homes, wish we had. If back in the turmoil of combat, well, we might still prefer to take our chances.
The problem is that the effects of noise vary among individuals, as does our self-healing and permanancy of damage from the 140 db or so rifle blast. Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) We learn this on the firing line in boot camp, or elsewhere. Also, the true effect of combat sounds on hearing is in a, possibly improbable, distant future. The risk of being killed by missing some audible clue before the firing begins is immediate, and the damage definitely permanent.
This was true of all infantry I knew of, not just Americans. My Aussie Digger pals, for instance, never used hearing protection except in mortar positions. Myself, I still hear fairly well, but always use protection on the firing range (still a member of NRA.)