[Twinkie]

My dad lost most of his hearing in WWII in N. Africa, Italy,
and Germany - the rifles, the bombs, the machine guns and
the rest of the ordnance were so loud. I hope they’re using
some sort of ear protection now. :o(

[luvbach1]

Our military have been using ear protection during training for a some time. I don't know about combat. I have very bad hearing in one ear caused by the M1 Garand repeatedly going off right next to my ears. I made a disability claim and VA had me tested. The results were a 4% loss of hearing in one ear, a totally false or erroneous result. I don't know how older vets could have escaped significant hearing loss.