After 20+ years around Navy turboprops and jets as well as decades of shooting, at 65 y/o my audiologist tells me I have virtually no hearing loss. I do have some tinnitus but not much. I attribute this to the dedicated use of the military style, yellow, cylindrical E-A-R Classics made by 3M. They can be a bit coarse and a bit difficult to insert but fwiw I think they’re the best you can buy. 30 pair on Amazon for about $7.00.
I used ear plugs religiously during my entire career. I had one incident, off duty talking to a buddy when somebody popped the hatch while a harrier was taking off. My right ear has been ringing for about 25 years and I lost about a third of the hearing in that ear.
Something to remember the Navy by.