Mother of a 13B who's just about to finish BCT. What kind of ear protection do they provide? My son is 19 so he isn't concerned about it but as some of you who are older and wiser know, hearing doesn't get better with age!
How much of a concern is this and how does the Army protect 13B's from hearing loss?
I wasn't a Gun Bunny, so I'll let one of them answer the question. But, I will tell you, strongly encourage your Son to take full advantage of whatever Hearing Protection he has access to. If he's allowed to purchse his own, superior to whatr is issued, encourage him to spend the money.
I was issued Ear Plugs, but was not required to wear them. I regret my stupidity. Even operating military vehicles, or riding on military aircraft, he should be wearing hearing protection. Hearing loss is permanent, tell him to protect it.
Yeah, I agree with Gumby there. Make sure he finds a better way to protect his ears than them foam P.O.S.'s they issue out. I've always had a problem with them falling out! Granted I have some wonky ears but still, encourage it. My ears are still ringing from the firing range on Saturday!
At a lot of Gun Shows, you'll find a booth where they are making custom Ear Plugs. They pour some goop in your ear and it molds to your ear. I don't have a pair, but friends that do swear by them. These days I wear ear plugs whenever I shoot, run the lawn mower or use my Chain saw. I worked in a Machine Shop for 12 years. I wore them a lot there. Sometimes, I wear ear plugs and ear muffs both.
Originally posted by gumbydammit: At a lot of Gun Shows, you'll find a booth where they are making custom Ear Plugs. They pour some goop in your ear and it molds to your ear. I don't have a pair, but friends that do swear by them. These days I wear ear plugs whenever I shoot, run the lawn mower or use my Chain saw. I worked in a Machine Shop for 12 years. I wore them a lot there. Sometimes, I wear ear plugs and ear muffs both.
I concur with Cav on this one. We were issued those orange rubber ear plugs when I was a 13B, and they helped some. However, a steady diet of big guns going off over the years has had an impact on my hearing. Artillery ears we call it. Your Son needs to do what he can to protect his hearing as it will effect him if he ignores it.
I use Peltor Combat Arms ear plugs. They have two ends, one for long-duration noise such as vehicles, and one for short duration such as weapon firing. That end allows you to hear voice and still protects you from the quick pressure wave that happens when a weapon is fired.
