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Operational Use of Ear Protection

This topic raised itself in comments on the post: ‘Gear: My Operational Loadout: Chris.’

I did comment on the post itself:

This hearing protection thing perplexes me a little. The advent of decent electronic hearing protection that actually amplifies sound, and thus helps you hear, is a real help. If you are in vehicles, wearing headsets, it’s not such an issue either. But my experience of being on dismounted infantry patrol, recce patrol, that sort of thing, is that you have to be able to hear. Absent electronic hearing protection that has batteries that last the whole time (not in my day), you are not patrolling with ear pro – because you have to be able hear the enemy.

If you go on the range without ear pro, it will hurt, but I don’t recall actually wearing ear pro in any surprise contact, with the exception of an ear piece/single headset (radio headsets USED to be just single ear, so you could hear with the other one). The exception would be manning a support weapon in a support by fire position, or similar, where you have time to put it on – it’s not a surprise action. If you are on patrol, and get ambushed, you won’t be wearing ear pro. Soldiers have done it for years. Perhaps it’s auditory exclusion? Perhaps its the same as being punched in a fight and hit by accident/training – you don’t feel it in a fight.

What’s the deal with this? It’s loud, but not as loud as you would think. Get over it. Wear ear pro if you can, but not on a patrol.

This may need its own post.

So here is the post. I think it is worth a discussion.

There are a few assumptions that could be made, depending on what mission/task you are doing. I just think there is an assumption out there that we all wear ear pro on the ranges, and shooting is loud and damages ears, and thus we must wear ear pro in combat. Perhaps I am just old school, but I have often been perplexed at these kinds of questions from students, when I am thinking: I never wore ear pro while on patrol…..although that is not strictly true, I may have worn (IIRC) an ear bud style ear pro opposite my ear piece while doing vehicle mounted movement, simply to try and reduce shock from IED attacks.

The thing is, if you are mounted in a military vehicle, you will be wearing some kind of headset. Whether you are the driver, commander or gunner. But the point is that you are in a vehicle, so it’s noisy, and thus noise does not matter, you are not trying to be stealthy, or talk to people, or whatever. So protect your ears when that 240 or .50 cal is going off in the turret above you.

If you are conducting a dismounted patrol, trying to be stealthy, anything like that, then you can’t wear ear pro. What is a listening halt good for if you are wearing ear pro? The point here is that if you do get into contact, then it is  a surprise contact and you won’t worry about ear pro as you are trying to break contact out of there.

The advent of electronic ear pro, such as the Howard Leight Impact Sport, means you have options where you can hear and also have ear pro. But you have battery life to consider. Now, I know much of our equipment has battery life so what’s the problem with a couple more batteries? Because I simply would  not  wear that ear pro all the time. Electronic ear pro is wonderful because it allows you enhanced hearing (thus perhaps very useful for a listening halt) while protecting from gunshot noise. So perhaps have it with you to put on if you know you are going into a fight. Perhaps for a raid?

Before we had electronic ear pro, traditionally soldiers would not wear ear pro. You wear it on the ranges but not for real. Although gunfire is noisy, you still need to be able to hear all the other noises, such as commands and enemy. If I am on a 3 day patrol, I’m not doing it with ear pro on. If I get bumped, I will just fight out of there, without ear pro. May it damage my hearing in excess? Least of my worries.

Are you going to wear your ear pro in the patrol base in case you get bumped? On sentry duty? Sleeping?

So technology has given us options, but mostly you won’t be wearing ear pro. You have to be prepared to fight without it. You won’t notice. It will be loud, but not the same as if you went on the range without it.

If you have a planned fight, by all means wear it. Support by fire machine gunner comes to mind. But if you are in the assault group, then wear electronic, so you can hear what is going on.

I’m interested in people’s thoughts and experience on this one – I think there may well be a divide between non combat  shooters who just assume they have to wear ear pro, because that’s what happens on the range, and experience in combat. But for the combat veterans, there will have been different ways of approaching this, so let’s hear them. I am sure Vietnam era vets had a different approach to current GWOT vets….

Max

48 responses to “Operational Use of Ear Protection”

  1. I couldn’t hear for 3 days after I hit a truck with an AT4. Those three days I wasn’t much use. I say if you have it use it. There really isint a good enough reason not to. The new electronic ear protection allows you improved hearing, protection and integration with communication devices. That’s worth a few extra AAA batteries in my book.

  2. Kinda of like when we teach our hunter safety courses. We rarely preach earpro in the field. Also we point out that the gun doesn’t kick when you’re shooting a deer. Only at the range. Funny how that all works.

    • It’s also important to remember the damage done to your heating happens whether you perceive it or not and is cumulative and non regenerative.

      In other words it still happens, it adds up and it doesn’t ever get better.

  3. As a 240 gunner i just put one USMC issued rubber ear plug in my right ear. Then one closet to the weapon. On patrol with M4s I never wore any. Hearing is a little worse for wear now but i also ruptured my ear drums over there so i imagine the hearing loss comes from that more than the gunfire.

    • You know, I did hear that it is the ear farthest from the weapon that suffers the most. But I can’t corroborate sources on that one…

      • I’ll testify from personal experience growing up that when I shot without ear pro, it was always my off ear that was ringing. We always wore ear pro unless we were hunting, and for both an SKS and .30-06, I could always hear just fine out of my right ear, but my left ear would ring for a couple of minutes after I shot.

  4. I have lost a lot of my hearing in both ears, mostly high/mid – high freqs. FWIW, I wear foamies under my headset to get extra protection, hoping to retain every bit of the hearing I have left. I just turn the headset colume up a little more to compensate for the foamies being used. If I’m caught in a surprise situation, am I going to hesitate because of lack of ear-pro? Hell no! But when I can reasonably take steps to mitigate hearing loss, I will. Spend the money and get the electronic protection.

  5. I think its a given that battle noise will damage your hearing, and you can’t get it back. Which is why we protect it when in training.

    There are times/missions/situations however where you cannot wear it. That is really the point – you can’t get stuck on it.

    I would take potential hearing loss over stumbling around on patrol with ear pro on.

    However, technology does give you more options, such as electronic ear pro. However, don’t try and wear it all the time! There will always be surprise situations where you may be in contact without ear pro. Don’t fumble for your ear pro as your first reaction!

    My Father remembers range days in the maybe 70’s where hearing protection was unheard off, because they didn’t know. Generations of soldiers have fought wars without it. And yes, suffered in their hearing.

    Its always a balance, a judgment.

  6. Just a history teacher here. My question is about eye pro. Back when I was a college freshmen in 2008 I went to the US Army Small Arms Championship and never wore eye protection, but always wore ear protection at all times on the range. When did eye protection become mandatory during range and combat environments? For example in Iraq and Afghanistan. I thought the troops wore sunglasses to protect themselves from the glare of the sun (maintain line of sight?) and not for eye protection from spent brass hitting them in the eyes. (Clarification about me: I was in ROTC at the time, Radford university, but never contracted.)

    I ask this because I don’t recall my ROTC cadre, national guard, army reserve, regular army, or even the Army Rangers and Green Berets using eye protection during the shooting match. They always had ear protection on.

    My second question is why the eye protection now and not during World War One, World War Two, Korea, Vietnam, and Gulf War? What is the reasoning behind eye protection other than over zealous safety rules? And what’s next? Reflective PT Belts to be worn at all times to ranges.

    I’m sorry if these questions seem over the top or a bit asinine. Just wanted to know that’s all. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

    Sincerely,
    Christopher Grieb

    • We put more value on human life and technology is better. Also a pair of oakleys costs less than paying some Joe 100% disability for 50years. Check out Chris hodges “what everyone should know about war” eye injuries were very common and will take you out just as fast as a bullet.

      I’ll be honest. I’ve had more incidents where my eyes, ears and hands were saved by my PPE than my vital organs. If I didn’t wear my helmet I’d be sitting by the window coloring for the rest of my life due to rollovers, rocks and blasts. My helmet saved me. I had a flash bang blow up in my hand. My gloves and oakleys saved my hands and eyes. I’ve never been shot though. Everyone wants to prepare for the sexy gun fight but not the unsexy fall, blast or accident.

    • Er….Reflective belts are already here – on deployment!

      Soon they will have to be worn outside the wire, to be fair to the suffering enemy. That’s probably why they brought in the ICU camouflage (Yeah. I – see – you. Get it?) – as a sort of conditioning to what is to come ;-)

      Eye pro has shown its worth – from not getting a stick in the eye in a woods, to keeping IED blast crap out of your eyes downrange. I saw a photo of a guy who had been wearing WileyX eye pro – his face was spattered with small cuts except for his eyes. I was in Iraq at the time, and wore eye pro ever since (WileyX!). Sold. I don’t wear eye pro all the time on my tactical ranges when instructing, but I do on the square range and any time combat was in the offing.

  7. Should you research the US Department of Veterans Affairs (The VA) you’ll find the number one disability amongst veterans is hearing loss. Those who poo-poo hearing protection will rue the day they move into their mid to late 50s and discover they can’t discern normal human conversation.

    My initial loss of hearing was on the rifle range at basic training. Fortunately, the injury was annotated in my military medical records. Consequently, the VA takes care of my hearing aid requirements. By the way, “hearing aid” is aptly named. As that’s all they are….”aids”.

    So, let your conscience be your guide when working around noise of any sort. Shooting for work or play, you need to SERIOUSLY consider hearing protection. You wear knee pads. You wear body armor. You wear a helmet. But hearing pro be damned.

    As Aaron above wrote: “It’s also important to remember the damage done to your heating happens whether you perceive it or not and is cumulative and non regenerative. In other words it still happens, it adds up and it doesn’t ever get better.”

    FWIW.

    • No one is poo-poo’ing ear pro. It is mandatory at MVT training.

      Combat operations, different factors apply and have to be taken into consideration.

      • Max….my “poo-poo” comment was not meant as a reflection on folks training or cadre at your facility. I was referencing folks like my brother-in-law on his no-muffler tractor ignoring ear pro. In daily life people don’t realize the impact of noise pollution and subsequent damage. It’s good to see you specifically addressing hearing protection.

  8. It’s going to come down to how it’s treated as far as your gear goes. If it’s looked at like a helmet vs range requirement it makes more sense. No you don’t wear it when you’re sleeping (though I do use foamies cuz mofos snore) but you don’t wear your helmet sleeping either. If you’ve got time to throw on a chest rig, battle belt and helmet you’ve got time to put on ear pro.

    I know I’ve run out in just boxer shorts, boots and rifle too though. Shift your paradigm guys. Treat it like your helmet or chest rig. Keep it with your gear. Use it. Or get a suppressor. That’s what I’m doing!

    • I suffered hearing loss due to shooting and finally broke down and got some hearing aids. Turns out that the guy that made them is a patriot and neophyte gunnie. I told him about sport ear and after some talk and negotiation he made a pair to test for about half the cost of sportear.

      They work great!! I can adjust the noise level to whatever is comfortable to me and the device still blocks out the harmful db level of a gun report.

      Can’t speak to sustained use battery life as I have only used these at the range and the battery is dead by the next time I use them. That’s the bad news. The good news is that they use the standard large hearing aid battery and you can fit eight or ten of those on about half a business card.

      hbbill
      Somewhere behind enemy lines,
      Peoples Republik of Kommiefornia

  10. I’ve suffered hearing loss due to gun fire with and without ear pro over the years. I have a mild case of tinnitus because of it. It’s not fun at all and the buzzing and “chirping crickets” from the nerve damage can drive you crazy especially at night when you are trying to sleep. I am a BIG believer in ear pro as the 556 round is loud as hell, it’s louder than 308 in my opinion. So, if at all possible I am opting to wear some sort of ear pro at all costs. I realize that it’s not practical all the time; when the rounds start flying, and the adrenaline starts pumping and your life is on the line; you don’t realize it until days later when your ears won’t stop ringing. This is an area of potential research and development that could make someone wealthy with the invention of better, more convenient form of ear protection.

    • There are those little combat in-ear things that you turn around depending on training or combat – It’s something like green faces out for combat IIRC, and you are supposed to be able to hear, but it blocks the harmful gunfire noise.

      • I’ve used the Peltor two-sided flange earplugs at outdoor and indoor ranges; they cut down on the noise considerably, and the vented ends do let you hear conversations adequately.

        That said, they noticeably change the timbre of sounds you hear, probably due to the mechanism by which they filter out higher-amplitude sound waves. Not sure they would be suitable on patrol, but one could easily buy a pair (they’re all of $15 on Amazon, etc.) and test hearing thresholds with and without.

  11. If your fight or flight system is activated during an engagement, then it appears the cochlea releases corticotrophin and appears to give some protection against hearing loss.
    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100503111525.htm
    The study focused on a specific hormone receptor produced by the brain called corticotrophin-releasing factor, CRF for short. CRF is produced by a gland inside the brain called the hypothalamus. It’s a tiny member of the body’s endocrine system, responsible for producing all those hormones, enzymes, peptides and other molecules that keep the body operating in good health.

    This study demonstrates for the first time that the cochlea – a small, snail-shaped organ that’s part of the hearing system, alerts the brain to produce CRF to protect itself when exposed to loud noise. You don’t have to think about it – it just happens, just as the fight or flight reaction kicks in whenever we’re faced with perceived danger or stress.

  12. I’d particularly like to hear from anyone who can recommend a headset that works well with helmet? Preferably something capable of supporting a boom mic and 2-way radio?

    The Howard Leight Impact Sport is a great headset for the price, but it only has a jack for incoming audio, and it doesn’t play nice with the helmet I’ve got, an MSA TC2000 MICH with full ear cover and stock straps:
    http://www.mcguirearmynavy.com/MSA-US-Military-Genuine-Issue-MICH-TC-2000-Helmet-with-1-Pre-Drilled-NVG-Hole-OD.html

    I picked up a neckband version of the MSA Supreme Pro X headset on the cheap, pic here:
    http://www.laruetactical.com/msa-supreme-pro-x-ear-muff-neckband

    While it does fit under my MICH and the audio is great, there are a number of shortcomings:
    1) it still only has an audio-in jack… no boom mic or audio out
    2) donning my earpro and helmet involves several minutes of tucking and adjusting the straps and neckband under/around/over each other. I don’t even want to think about trying to wrangle that mess onto my head under pressure.
    3) In contrast to the Howard Leight headset’s ability to fold up into a sturdy little package that I don’t have to worry about mashing in a pack or on a belt, the MSA is a spindly and unwieldy piece of gear, with no carrying case that I know of. I would count its life expectancy under adverse conditions in minutes from the moment it left its owner’s head.

    Do I just need to get a helmet with side rails and a headset that can mount directly to that? I was kinda hoping to keep them independent of each other, as well as keep the protection of a full helmet over my ears.

    In summary, I want it all! Comments and recommendations welcome.

    Thanks in advance,

    #OREGON HOBO#

    • Your neckband Sordins will hold up just fine. No, don’t stomp them or abuse them – like most things they are not made for abuse. They are made for hard use. They are waterproof and durable.

      As far as the boom mic thing goes, I personally prefer the headsets without them. Here is how my comm setup works:

      -I have my radio wherever I want to have it (I keep mine on my belt)

      -I have a speaker mic hooked to it (like this: http://www.amazon.com/Rainproof-Shoulder-Speaker-Microphone-Kenwood/dp/B0091IBBLE/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1410484202&sr=8-6&keywords=speaker+mic)

      -The speaker mic has a cable for an earbud. So I use an AUX cable to hook in from the speaker mic to the ear pro. With this setup you can hear, your hearing is protected, your comm is audible only to you, and you have a mic that you can talk back on.

      • Another couple things to think about, per earpro and helmets-

        What I know a lot of guys do, and I can’t personally say whether it’s a better or worse option, is to use the standard MSA/Comtac/HL headsets with the standard fixed headband.
        Then either cut out, or use a set of foam pads in the helmet so it fits over the band.

        Per some research I’ve done, you can get an add-on boom mike kit for the Sordins with the standard headband. However, it’s a good bit of extra dough. You may be better off in that case to go straight for a headset with the boom mic already built in- like something from Comtac… Big $$ though.

  14. No worries there Max. I wouldn’t be cought dead with an illegal item. I like my freedom too much. Just waiting for the stamp… ;-)

  15. There are a few different valid points being made here, but I come to a (mostly) overall different conclusion on this one than Max.

    1. You need to be able to hear on patrol. Back in the days before quality electronic ear pro, it made sense to NOT wear ear pro on patrol. Wear it if you are on the gun line (mortars, arty, SBF) or MAYBE even if you were going into a raid or something.

    2. You need to be able to hear on patrol. When you shoot your weapon, fire your AT4, or have enemy explosives going off near you, then guess what? You can’t hear on patrol anymore. Immediate ringing of the ears and long-term hearing damage. I get that some guys on here are saying in combat that they didn’t notice it, but I sure as hell did. Auditory Exclusion is not a 100% surefire thing. Neither is this whole argument that Auditory Exclusion protects you from hearing damage; if that were the case, then hearing loss wouldn’t be the most common disability faced by our returning warfighters.

    3. “We never wore ear pro in the past!” Yeah, and we used to ride horses and shoot muzzle-loading rifles, too. That is just resistance to change talking. If there is a better way, then we need to go with the better way. Quality electronic ear pro has ALMOST no downside. You can hear better with it on, it protects your hearing from gunfire, and you can tie your comm in to it. Does that mean you need to always have it on? Obviously not. But as a general rule, if I am in a contact-likely or contact-imminent scenario, then I am going to wear it. Wear the electronic ear pro, even on patrol.

    4. “We never wore ear pro in the past!” Yeah, and if you don’t have it on you, then don’t worry about it. Fight the fight. Use the ear pro if you have it. If you don’t have it, then get it. But don’t get so focused on it that you are scrambling out of your sleep to get your ear pro on when you need to be returning fire RIGHT NOW.

    5. I am right there with Max on the absurdity of the “glow strap syndrome”. It is ridiculous. But I don’t think that using gloves, eye pro, and ear pro is glow-strap syndrome IF it doesn’t detract from mission completion. Executing a stalk? You probably need to drop the eye pro. Etc. Again, remember that WW2 was fought and won without the assistance of body armor. You don’t have to have this stuff, and you can’t get so focused on it that you are scared to act without it, but if you have it then use it.

    Just my $0.02. I’m just a dude who saw a little combat. By no means am I the expert.

    • Thus is all sensible stuff – but I disagree with the emphasis on immediate hearing problems. It is clear that exposure can/will cause long term irreversible hearing damage. That is just fact.

      But I have never been incapacitated by the sound of gunfire as it was happening. Given that we have fought world wars with high velocity rifles, and range days and training used to be conducted without ear pro, I’m just not buying it.

      • Max, I’m certainly not selling anything. I’m just stating what happened to ME, and I’m not lying about it. I never said that I was “incapacitated”, but buy it or not, I assure you that in combat, my ears were ringing and my hearing was significantly diminished. It certainly made me less able to communicate, and I have other guys who have had the same problem.

        As I pointed out myself, we have been fighting wars without ear pro for a long time. The focus has to be on killing the enemy and not on dicking around with ear pro. You can kill people just fine without ear pro, but the benefits are the benefits. Ear pro helps with the immediate problems and the long term problems. This doesn’t change regardless of a given person’s personal opinion on the topic.

  16. Electronic ears are invaluable on the range and when training. I also use Pro Ears when hunting, especially in the fall. When the deer or game animal moves they can’t help but step on dried leaves, which sound your natural ears won’t pick up. The value of Pro Ears in hunting is that at still points your brain can intercept and interpret the surrounding sounds and not block them out. Walking tends to block out the sounds you would hear when you are still. The also work great in ground blinds and in tree stands.

  18. Will electronic ear muffs still give full protection if the batteries run out, or if they were not turned on? If so, I imagine one could save a lot of juice that way and keep them on for longer. Then keep a set of simple earplugs at the ready to protect while changing batteries, sleeping, etc.

  19. I typically never wore earpro while conducting operations. I did carry a set of foamies on my 782 gear but only used them on a few occasions. One while I was a scout with a Light Armored unit, 25mm is freaking loud and you couldn’t hear over the engines anyways. I also wore them whenever we employed the SMAW. Other than that I never wore it on patrols. Electronic ear pro is nice and does help with amplifying ambient noise, but keep in mind that with many of the units on the market you’re hearing will become omnidirectional for lack of a better term. It can make it very hard to actually locate the source if sound is your only indicator. Just my two cents

  20. I use my Howard Leights with my issued helmet all the time. I just adjust the pads to create a channel for the top strap to go and it works just fine. I also use a splitter/mic input and I can use my cell phone with my headset to make calls or listen to music on long boring convoys (conus).

  21. Thanks for addressing this as its own topic. I’ve seen both my father and grandfather suffer hearing loss and this is an important consideration to me.
    Maybe an addressing of what electric ear pro is recommended?

  22. Hey Max…

    the ones I have access to benefits the warrior in two ways.

    1. It caps the output, (basically how loud any sound can get) to 80db which is below the threshold of damage.

    2. When no loud sound is present, it adds 20 db of gain.

    When we were doing the recon during the patrol class, I could hear what the opfor was saying from about 40 yards away.

    This is the site.

    http://www.soundgearhearing.com/collections/frontpage/products/hearing-protection-for-hunters-shooters

    I can offer them for a substantial discount as well if anyone is interested.

  23. A friend was present for the entire siege of Khe Sanh.
    He said he went weeks where he couldn’t hear at all.
    Another older gentleman would shoot an M-1 all day long
    for weeks on Army rifle team with no hearing protection.
    Both now hear quite normally.

  24. I would like to add to this conversation a bit further.

    I have been in the hearing health care industry for 20 years, and I have come to understand that losing one’s hearing is one of the most difficult things one can face.

    You have heard the expression, “being alone in a room full of people.” That is exactly what happens when hearing loss gets bad enough. Everything we do, watching a movie, talking to our spouse, having friends over for dinner, or having a long distance conversation by phone, the enjoyment of those things, to a great degree, comes from being able to interact through verbal communication.

    Therefore, it is imperative that we do everything within our power to protect our hearing.

    I once had a patient who had a little bit of hearing loss, mild to moderate in the high frequencies. He bought a new pistol, a 6 inch barrel 44 magnum. He went out and shot it 6 times with no hearing protection, and his high frequency hearing was gone after that.

    I encourage everyone to do themselves a great favor, and get a good set of electronic ear protection. You will thank yourself for it later.

  25. Another major bonus is that I plug my lapel mike into my Howard Leights. I can hear commo great without blaring it out to the world.

  26. My three main joys in life are heavy metal concerts, guns, and jet engines. I generally have multiple sets of in-ear foam earplugs around, and am trying to track down (and save up for) a GOOD set of in-ear electronic earpro.

    I’m not afraid of shooting without earpro, the rifle next to my bed doesn’t have a pair of muffs hanging on it, but it’s not something I look forward to doing, and would avoid it if at all possible.

    I’d much rather be wearing some uncomfortable in-ear electronic earpro for a few days while on a patrol than to have to deal with tinnitus for the rest of my life. Yeah, shit may happen in a FOB or wherever that blows out my hearing, but I guess that’s life. I can’t always be prepared for everything all the time. What I was taught in the Boy Scouts was to be as prepared as possible for what can be prepared for, and to stay cool when faced with things I’m not prepared for.

  27. I wonder if musicians’ in-ear monitors might have something to offer?

    I’m going to try on my Howard Leights with my helmet tonight. I think I might need new helmet straps, or maybe upgrade the Fritz helmet to a kevlar one. But maybe the headphones will help hold it on my head in the first place.

  28. Has anyone tried Sonic Defenders made by Surefire? They’re supposed to let low-level sounds through the small canal with the option of plugging those for greater dB reduction. The whole sound issue is exactly why I wish suppressors weren’t regulated.