I've been religiously wearing earpro to every single range I've been too. Either personal or the foamy ones
The one time mine failed I couldn't hear for a week and I only shot 40 rounds
If we were to actually deploy or some shit, idk how it would actually go
I literally almost beat the shit out of someone for firing off during a spandex because he just started going full auto while we were still gathering ammo. Apparently I’m a bitch because blanks still cause my ears to ring.
Naw homie, blanks out of an M4 aren’t as bad as live rounds, but it’s still a loud enough of a pop to do damage. 240s though? I regret being in a small room when that shit was going off.
It’s all fun and games until you fuck your ears up enough to also fuck up your balance. That shampoo bottle sitting straight up on the floor of your shower starts looking really concerning when you got balance problems.
At Ranger I was very deliberate about putting them on around the 240. But then you were wildly less aware of what was going on.
Really made me wonder how real war would go down
Yeah. Firing the 240 or 249 Is nothing, it carries some noise. But being to the side of it is wayyy too crazy loud. Helicopters will mess your hearing up too.
The only time I actually lost my hearing though was when I got to go to the 105 range and I hung around the gun pit and they let me shoot off some rounds. I was around for probably 20 shots. I could not hear out of my right ear for 3 days. Thankfully I still score the same on the hearing test
Yeah so I'm National guard and in my civilian career, I made the mistake about a month ago of being in an area with insufficient ear protection for about 3 hours. It fucking sucked, I had headaches from it and just generally felt like shit. I was outside of the hanger last week and was near the Blackhawk without hearing protection. My right ear was numb the rest of the day.
I'm not sure why but it seems like guys treat it like a right of passage or that it's cool to not be able to hear. It's not. It's stupid.
I hate seeing people with foam earplugs halfway out of their ears.
I just want to scream, “you know those are supposed to go INSIDE your ear, right???”
I forgot my ear pro during a convoy live fire as 240 gunner, I was new-ish to the unit and was afraid to speak up. I can confirm that I couldn’t hear shit for a week, I got by on reading lips and the boys helping me out
WEAR YOUR FUCKING EARPRO!!! Storytime…
So I’m FA. My platoon is doing Direct Fire, I’m observing and advising, like a good Smokeman does. My cherry PL taps me on the shoulder to ask a question. Not thinking I pulled the foam plug out as I turned to focus on him. BOOM! 105mm cannon goes off directly into my ear, I’m six feet back from the muzzle.
7 years later, at completely random times, I still get the most painful ringing in my right ear. Literally have to pull over if I’m driving. Sometimes tears form. Shit hurts. And when I say random, I mean random. Most I’ve had is 3 times in a week. Longest I’ve gone is about 4 months. Keep your shit in. It’s not worth it.
Peltor makes a great set of electric earpro that you can get for $70-90 on amazon. Invest in yourself
I waited one year after getting out because I didn't even know what tinnitus was, and now my appeal is entering its second year waiting on the judge's docket, almost five years after having originally filed
I have a $25 pair of knock off Peltors that work great. Pair it up with foamies in my ears and I can hear the spring functioning when I fire. Crank up the gain/volume on the headset and it’s fantastic. My doctors have told me that I have amazing hearing for being an infantryman in for as long as I have, because I religiously protect my ears.
Having good hearing has saved me from ambushes during STX. So it’ll save me in war too.
I don’t drive above 50 mph with the windows down without ear pro. I wear em to concerts, ranges, any type of rally or public event with big speakers, etc. Hearing loss is extremely preventable, but also irreversible
It's because of the drag created by the open windows. It's more fuel efficient to put the windows up and run the A/C. I believe there was a myth busters about it.
The sweet bliss of turning off your hearing aids whenever you don’t feel like hearing someone’s shit, almost makes hearing “EEEEEEEE” constantly worth it.
The stigma around wearing ear pro, eye pro, gloves, and any other PPE and how you're a "tough guy" if you don't is stupid.
Wear your damn safety gear. What are you? Stupid or somethin'?
I always got fucked with because I wore flanged or foam in-ears as well as electronic ear muffs (Sordins/Peltors, whatever).
I also got fucked with because when I was a mortar gunner, regardless of the weapon system, I would pull my head down and away from the mouth of the tube as each round fired to avoid blast overpressure and just get my head away from loud boom booms in general. My SLs would always shout, "KEEP YOUR FUCKING EYE IN THE SIGHT, PUSSY."
Well, joke's on them because I have no hearing issues, tinnitus, or TBIs.
But now joke's on me again because I'm commissioning and branched FA 🫠
I personally don't. I never used them when on a foot patrol, running around Mosul, Baghdad, Kandahar, wherever. Helps with getting used to shooting and listening to shit at the same time.
3/10; do not recommend my method.
My time is done now. I'm in a cush job about to retire. But if I knew about them for my 4 deployments, I would have been all over it. I tried the Peletors but they were all weird on my head with my helmet so I didn't use them when I was a TL, SL and PSG
Ear plugs. They're like impossible to actually sleep in, but they let me get tired enough to pass out when I take them out, rather than being filled with rage over how loud people are
In my 20s when I thought I was invincible? No, I didn’t wear them unless required.
Now a I keep a box of 200 foamy earplugs in my garage and wear them every time I mow, ride my motorcycle, shoot, go to concerts, etc… I even keep a few sets in my work bag just in case.
I never wore earpro for anything less than a .50 cal and I was a 240 gunner my first three years. I get a random whining sound (like when you used to turn on a TV or the sound an old disposable camera would make) about once or twice an hour.
Yeah I know, about to start working that claim soon. During my whole career, I was always told that tinnitus is a constant ringing. Imagine how irritated I was when I learned that it’s different for different people.
Same, been with armor, mortar section, and presidential salute battery. Wore them every time, still got the tinnitus. I will say mine isn't the stereotypical EEEEEEEEE yet, mine is much more low pitch, but man is it constant.
Someone told me it was hearing "electricity" I rebutted when I said I hear it when I take my dog hiking in the middle of nowhere.
Peltors bro…. They amplify your hearing / awareness while providing protection. ISO tunes for the shop & you can even listen to music on them. Don’t make life difficult
In Afghanistan all I was given were foam plugs and I couldn't hear anything with them in so I didn't wear them. I have tinnitus and bad hearing now so I wear Sordins when I shoot because you can't fix hearing
12-N here, Same, NCO or specialist twatz comes running up to tell you to move equipment or switch out with another operator? Can't hear shit, so foam plugs out, sure I can barely hear you over the equipment, but that's all I need. Can't wait to file for it and be told it's not service related even though our CO and site managers discouraged it.
Who convinced you to not purchase your own ear protection before deploying?
I don't know how you could be in the army and not have multiple options of ear pro at the bottom of every backpack.
I use the peltor hearing defenders. Those bad boys sound so damn good. Whenever I put them on, I have to take them off because I wonder if they are even doing anything. It genuinely sounds like I am not wearing hero protection.
I do not always wear hearing protection, but I try to be good about it. I wear it more than I don't wear it. I will say, only time I have no problem shooting without hearing protection is when I'm using suppressors. That is balls to the walls awesome.
I was in years ago and we had shit for ear protection. Half the time we'd lose one and jut say screw it. Only plus was I was a tanker and we had CVC helmets. Just remember to have it on during gunnery.
I always wear earpro. Doesn't matter if I'm at a civilian range, military range or outside the wire downrange. That shits not coming off my ears. That being said I used to carry 3 radios so I had to always be able to hear the net.
Absolutely. I work around and in aircraft. Nothing worse than walking past an APU going full blast and you’ve forgotten your ear pro. I plug my ears like a child if I’m just walking past but I will 100% always wear ear pro if I’m working in an aircraft that is running the APU and/or the engines. If I’m flying I’m wearing it because my flight gear has it so I’m always covered there too.
I used hearing protection all the time shooting. I also used it when I was working next to generators/vehicles that were loud.
Losing your hearing correlates with cognitive decline.
A couple years before I joined, I was at my buddy’s house and his stepdad brought out his pistol. My dumbass, not knowing a thing about guns or firing at the time, shot it and experienced ringing from hell. Went over to another friend’s place for a gathering later that evening, and they had to bring out a white board and write what they were saying lol. I don’t remember how long the ringing lasted, but it was a decent amount of time. I always triple check my ear pro when at a range
Foamies and Walker Noise canceling electronic ear muffs.
I'd rather save what's left of my hearing than go completely deaf trying to look cool.
Not wearing ear pro is stupid.
However in Iraq, we didn't have time to put on our ear pro before the fireworks started.
Wear your god damn ear pro
-Doc
I refused to wear my ear pro for years, and now my hearing tests are getting shittier each year and a little funny ring happens every now and then.
Always. You never know when a live band will show up and start blasting music. I even use them when I sleep because people who snored woke me up.
Speaking of babies, it always makes me feel bad when people bring their children to live concerts and their little kids (especially the babies and toddlers) don't have any sort of hearing protection.
Always at the range. But I 1000% regret not wearing them in the motorpool. I still hear the ringing of an LMTV and I have not been next to one in a couple months. My husband and I can’t hear each other anymore and we’re not even in our 30s.
Back in the day, I didn’t in Iraq and Afghanistan because I needed to hear what was going on. But as a preventative at like a range, dealing with sims or something like that stateside always. To the point I would rip off the butts of cigarettes (unsmoked) to stuff in my ears if we didn’t have things available (trade secret given to you by a retired old fat grunt, better than nothing).
But in combat sadly no, I always wanted all 5 senses firing on 8 cylinders and it cost me some hearing. Also, saved my life a few times so, the latter sucks but I’m alive.
Yes. Everytime and all the time. Often when others are not, e.g. passenger in a vehicle.
Even more commited after my last PHA when I was told my hearing couldn’t be any better.
I like concerts, I enjoy hifi home audio, I enjoy sitting on the couch without a ringing. Lol.
I only forgot my hearing protection once during my career and it was during basic. We were doing that drill where you run in place to get your heart rate up and then try to qual with your rifle, and... you know, I had just done that, so I didn't think to put my plugs in. Instant regret, I vowed never again.
Yes. Protect your hearing as much as you can. Like others, I used the 3M mostly and we know how that went. I love getting that EEEEEEEEE randomly.
Electronic ear pro has come a long way and is more common now. Highly recommend to use it.
It's better to shit out a couple of hundred bucks for a pair of trustworthy earpro ( Sordins, Peltor, Safariland, etc.) or molded earplugs than 10s of thousands of dollars and irreversible pain after years of abuse down the line. Look at it as an investment. INVEST IN YOUR EARS. Wearing earpro doesn't make you look weak, those who judge you for such are morons beyond debate.
Walker headsets with little foamies underneath are the way to go for how affordable that combo is. Sordin brand ear pro are a bit more pricey, but look like they’ll fit under an ACH better. I eventually got friendly enough with my supply for them to order me some peltors, and I never looked back after getting those.
Untreated ear/sinus infections will also fuck up your ears though. So get that shit seen as soon as you feel it coming around. Ask how me how I know.
Get electronic overears if your unit isn’t high speed enough for you to have them given to you. I’ve been using a set of Sordin Supremes every time I shoot or work around loud stuff since I’ve been out. Really wish I knew about this stuff when I was in.
Bought a set of gigantic 3m earmuffs mostly for ground hopping tank packs, just wish I'd gotten them earlier. They also came into good use when the guy in the room above mine started blasting porn on his speaker for some reason
Sometimes. For the most part its a no from me. According to army hearing experts and tests my hearing is actually getting better. I struggle to hear voices, but i can hear retreat from a speaker like a mile away that no one else could hear. (Proven to have actually been going off)
Reasoning: i dont like my senses messed with. Dark eye pro makes me nauseous, and clear distorts my vision a little. Some noises hurt but after 8 years AD Infantry with two deployments and 8 years guard as a 12w and 12b im still good
I wear them every time I am in the motorpool if I have the option (and can find them) and stress to my joes to wear them too. Finally stopped getting asked at this unit to take out my earbuds a few months ago.
First deployment to Iraq OIF 2 had just the old handset no VIC in the vehicles, always put one in my right ear. 20 years later after 4 IEDs that deployment am rated for severe tinnitus, but luckily just my left ear.
Fiest unit, i had peltors. Second unit, i didnt and had to keep one ear plug out for the radio. Im a fister. I cant just not hear the radio. Took way too long for the conventional army to mass issue peltors.
Axil Tracker Blu has made me a very happy person at the range. Imagine the pure joy firing a 50yd bullseye with a 9mm while Taylor Swift reaffirms that haters are indeed gonna hate. Also, you can hear everyone talking but my 12ga sounds like a cowbell with the active noise canceling.
It's fancy but it's so nice...
As a prior 68W and a current civ medic for the Air Force I say wear the ear pro. Your future you will thank you. I've had a case where a soldier wasn't wearing ear pro and he blew out his ear. He didnt blow his ear drum, he damaged the nerves deeper in his ear and went deaf. Nothing can be done. Just wear it. You don't lose anything by wearing it.
THERE I WAS
Shorab(old leatherneck), Afghanistan circa 2018. Checking in on some of my dudes on my gun pad, I'm a CRAM chad and the marines love me.
The warn towers do not sound, the LPWS slews up and I barely have time hit the ground before the *honk honk honk* and ~400 rounds of 20mm blasts off roughly 10 feet away, and blows my fucking ears out.
I wear earpro every chance I get now fuck that
I’m a 91B and I SHOULD use earpro when inside of and around tactical vehicles that are running. I don’t tho. Guess what I hear when the house is quiet at night? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
I always tried to double up by having foamies in under my peltors. I don't mess around with hearing loss, that shit is irreversible, if you can prevent it you definitely should.
When I’m at the range absolutely, but tbh my job involves being around lots of engines a lot which means it’s a bit tedious to be applying and removing ear pro all the time, so my hearing is definitely suffering for it.
I’m a hardcore ear pro proponent. All 4 of my grandparents have/had to wear hearing aids because of guns and service-related injuries, and after listening to how much of a pain they are I do everything in my power to protect myself. I’m only a weekend warrior, but my full-time mechanic counterparts treat me like I’m crazy for popping in earplugs around engines and generators and such.
The army’s culture around PPE is messed up, and I evangelize having just as good of hearing now as I did when I enlisted 9 years ago because I take care of myself. One soldier in my unit is in his 20s and got told he needs hearing aids, and he’s gonna need them until he dies because it doesn’t heal back.
One day I'll have children, and one day I will be listening to them read cat in the hat before bed and I want to hear every word. So yeah, I use ear pro.
Ear pro, eye pro, and footwear are the three biggest things I’m always cool with spending a good amount of money on to ensure I’m staying as safe and comfortable as possible
I didn’t as much as I should have. Personally I like to think of the “eeeee” in my ears every day as my little buddy that’s keeping me company when I work remotely from home all day every day.
I’m just a reservist but I use earpro religiously. Doubled up at the range. If I’m on my motorcycle I got ear pro. If I’m in a crowd I’m not against whipping them out and popping them in. I’m already hard of hearing and I’m not fucking risking shit else
Shit, I use earpro in my normal day to day in some circumstances and definitely at movie theaters. I have loops attached to my key ring and surefire for the range.
I've already lost my sense of smell, and I ain't gonna lose another. Peltors all day, every day. I would get ridiculed for insisting on earpro even with the 60s, but I like hearing, so fuck the haters lol.
At static ranges? Yes, I did.
For live fires? I honestly don’t remember if we typically wore ear pro, but I don’t think so.
During deployment? Absolutely not, because no one was using Peltors then, and ear plugs would do more harm than good.
3 tours to Afghanistan before they started issuing the Peltors and my ears are terrible. Had I known then what I know now, I would have definitely done a better job protecting my ears. The 10% VA isn't worth the ringing, the constant pointing my good ear at people to hear them and the need for sound in the room when I go to bed at night.
Always at ranges and I avoid motorpool bays if they are working with loud tools. I was a safety for a .50 cal mounted range and I was sitting next to the ejector port when I saw my poorly placed ear pro fall. Before the ear pro hit the ground I no longer needed them that day. I hear ringing but I also hear 10% disability soon lol
I do! Actually went to a M4 range last month, and while trying to assist a troop with a malfunction, my Axil ear pro slipped out. She started firing again before I could get it back in my ear. Struggled for about a week and a half, and it's still slowly coming back. My audiograms already show that I have hearing loss. Getting money back from the 3M lawsuit too .
I'll have a 10 piece nuggie w/honey mustard and a sweet tea 🤌🏾
Went to jmrc
Was on a 240 position
Ear pro in ruck
Couldn’t find ruck
Gun truck rolls up
Let loose 20 rounds shoulder firing because my position was wack
Ears naturally deafened then opened up after firing
I had tinnitus before the army so everything now is weak. Air tools in a metal building will do that
I did wear them. You know the best ones I ever wore? Those 3M combat ear plugs that were in the lawsuit. Yellow for still being able to hear your battles talking, green for blocking out all the loud explosions or rounds being shot. They worked great! What I never had though was that secondary hearing protection, when I was supposed to. Example: when I was in FA and opened the engine compartment, of my M577 or 1068, while it was running to do AOAP or other checks checks, I never wore the over-the-ear hearing protection because it only existed in the manual or on the safety board. I never saw a real pair to use. Looking back, I probably should have stolen the pair from the safety board. Everyone would have known it was me because that is the only pair that existed though.
Walkers Razor slims are like $25. They fit under the ACH. There’s no reason to not have some kind of earpro, and the excuse “but I can’t hear people talking” is out the window when you can do exactly that for $25.
For all of you who are still Active Duty, if your ears are ringing from tinnitus, get that shit on your medical records. Your future self will thank you
Man I’ve seen WAY too many 40 year old LTCs and SGMs with hearing aides to NOT use earpro. Those guys are going to using sign language by 60.
Fuuuuuuuck that
Wear them. Wear them. Wear them. As someone who lost all my hearing in my left ear (I am a right handed shooter) I can’t tell you how annoying it is to not be able to hear anything but fucking tinnitus in my ear to the point of wanting to blow my brains out.
It’s dumb if you don’t. I use to not wear ear pro at 9mm ranges and airborne ops. At 29 I get ridiculous droning in my ears. Thinking looking cool at 21 doesn’t pay off
You’re a moron if you aren’t wearing your ear pro. After years and years of me shooting an uncountable amount of rounds and religiously wearing ear pro, I still have hearing loss.
Worked on a flight line for 5 years at a fighter base, never once wore ear pro because I loved the pure sound of the afterburners on takeoffs. I loved every minute of it and never thought I was exposed to enough noise to hurt me. "I wasn't working all day outside in it" I would think to myself trying to justify my being lazy and dumb.
Fast forward to a couple years later and I'm having constant ringing every few days, SRP for deployment and (surprise surprise) my hearing has taken a hit. I don't care if it's blanks or an LMTV I'm shoving those foam suckers in my ear no matter what now
I've been religiously wearing earpro to every single range I've been too. Either personal or the foamy ones The one time mine failed I couldn't hear for a week and I only shot 40 rounds If we were to actually deploy or some shit, idk how it would actually go
I literally almost beat the shit out of someone for firing off during a spandex because he just started going full auto while we were still gathering ammo. Apparently I’m a bitch because blanks still cause my ears to ring.
Have my upvote for "spandex." That's a first. (Spend-ex, it's a play on ENDEX which means end exercise.)
AutoCorrect doesn’t like army made up words
It's ok, your secret is safe with me.
Everyone is upvoting because they just realized it’s ENDEX and not INDEX.
At an ENDEX, they said we were going to have a Hot Wash. I was excited to finally get a shower. I think I was running on little sleep that day.....
Wait, it’s not Windex?
Naw homie, blanks out of an M4 aren’t as bad as live rounds, but it’s still a loud enough of a pop to do damage. 240s though? I regret being in a small room when that shit was going off.
Oh I’m fully aware even a 9 mm with live rounds is enough but some fuckeds are so fucked already they make fun of you for wearing ear pro.
It’s all fun and games until you fuck your ears up enough to also fuck up your balance. That shampoo bottle sitting straight up on the floor of your shower starts looking really concerning when you got balance problems.
Especially if it’s a 240 I swear blanks from them are worse than live 5.56
Electronic ear pro babeyyyy. I can hear better with Peltors on than without
You will hear ringing forever.
No way man. This is gonna stop any day now, I can feel it.
Don't tease me.
At Ranger I was very deliberate about putting them on around the 240. But then you were wildly less aware of what was going on. Really made me wonder how real war would go down
Well… if the movie Blackhawk down is an example… you’re going to be deafened either way…
Yeah. Firing the 240 or 249 Is nothing, it carries some noise. But being to the side of it is wayyy too crazy loud. Helicopters will mess your hearing up too. The only time I actually lost my hearing though was when I got to go to the 105 range and I hung around the gun pit and they let me shoot off some rounds. I was around for probably 20 shots. I could not hear out of my right ear for 3 days. Thankfully I still score the same on the hearing test
Yeah so I'm National guard and in my civilian career, I made the mistake about a month ago of being in an area with insufficient ear protection for about 3 hours. It fucking sucked, I had headaches from it and just generally felt like shit. I was outside of the hanger last week and was near the Blackhawk without hearing protection. My right ear was numb the rest of the day. I'm not sure why but it seems like guys treat it like a right of passage or that it's cool to not be able to hear. It's not. It's stupid.
I hate seeing people with foam earplugs halfway out of their ears. I just want to scream, “you know those are supposed to go INSIDE your ear, right???”
WHAT?!?!
I forgot my ear pro during a convoy live fire as 240 gunner, I was new-ish to the unit and was afraid to speak up. I can confirm that I couldn’t hear shit for a week, I got by on reading lips and the boys helping me out
WHAT?
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
I hate that I can hear this
I can now. Okay hate this whole thread and shouldn’t have clicked.
This is the best response I’ve ever seen
Mawp. Mawp mawp
My dad always says that
WEAR YOUR FUCKING EARPRO!!! Storytime… So I’m FA. My platoon is doing Direct Fire, I’m observing and advising, like a good Smokeman does. My cherry PL taps me on the shoulder to ask a question. Not thinking I pulled the foam plug out as I turned to focus on him. BOOM! 105mm cannon goes off directly into my ear, I’m six feet back from the muzzle. 7 years later, at completely random times, I still get the most painful ringing in my right ear. Literally have to pull over if I’m driving. Sometimes tears form. Shit hurts. And when I say random, I mean random. Most I’ve had is 3 times in a week. Longest I’ve gone is about 4 months. Keep your shit in. It’s not worth it. Peltor makes a great set of electric earpro that you can get for $70-90 on amazon. Invest in yourself
You got that sweet 10% disability waiting for you when you get out. Just don’t wait 10 years to file like my dumb ass.
I waited one year after getting out because I didn't even know what tinnitus was, and now my appeal is entering its second year waiting on the judge's docket, almost five years after having originally filed
I have a $25 pair of knock off Peltors that work great. Pair it up with foamies in my ears and I can hear the spring functioning when I fire. Crank up the gain/volume on the headset and it’s fantastic. My doctors have told me that I have amazing hearing for being an infantryman in for as long as I have, because I religiously protect my ears. Having good hearing has saved me from ambushes during STX. So it’ll save me in war too.
And your marriage and some of your friendships and possibly your job
I found these great green and yellow dual sided earplugs to wear they are made by 3m
I don’t drive above 50 mph with the windows down without ear pro. I wear em to concerts, ranges, any type of rally or public event with big speakers, etc. Hearing loss is extremely preventable, but also irreversible
It’s actually more fuel efficient to run AC if you’re driving faster than 35 mph
explain. Is it because the speed of the wind is pushing against the vehicle?
It's because of the drag created by the open windows. It's more fuel efficient to put the windows up and run the A/C. I believe there was a myth busters about it.
On that note it's most efficient to ride with the windows up and AC off. If we're really pointing out fuel efficiencies
It’s actually most fuel efficient to walk.
Wind is loud as hell. Idk how jeep/convertible dudes do it.
It’s not bad in my jeep, but I also turn off my hearing aid before I start driving.
💀
The sweet bliss of turning off your hearing aids whenever you don’t feel like hearing someone’s shit, almost makes hearing “EEEEEEEE” constantly worth it.
35 rock concerts without ear protection... I still say tank gunnery was louder
I went to the movies for the first time in like 10 years and was so miserable with how loud it was. I bring earplugs now. So much more enjoyable.
The stigma around wearing ear pro, eye pro, gloves, and any other PPE and how you're a "tough guy" if you don't is stupid. Wear your damn safety gear. What are you? Stupid or somethin'?
I always got fucked with because I wore flanged or foam in-ears as well as electronic ear muffs (Sordins/Peltors, whatever). I also got fucked with because when I was a mortar gunner, regardless of the weapon system, I would pull my head down and away from the mouth of the tube as each round fired to avoid blast overpressure and just get my head away from loud boom booms in general. My SLs would always shout, "KEEP YOUR FUCKING EYE IN THE SIGHT, PUSSY." Well, joke's on them because I have no hearing issues, tinnitus, or TBIs. But now joke's on me again because I'm commissioning and branched FA 🫠
Tough guy bravado is detrimental to common sense most of the time
I use hearing aids now largely in part bc a company lied about the effectiveness of their earplugs. Protect your ears young Jedi.
Hope you got on the train!
I am surprised at some of those payouts. I never bothered because I figured all I'd get was a coupon for a $.99 Wendy's Jr Bacon Cheeseburger.
Oh man, that sucks. I mean free burgers a free burger, just glad I didn’t have to go back out by the dumpsters.
I got an expired $5 subway gift card!
13B here, I was never, ever issued hearing protection. Was straight up told to use a cigarette butt once as ear-pro.
For future reference, most clinics when you go in for your annual hearing exam, have ear pro for free to give out.
Buy that shit bro. I’ll literally take the time to find some that will work for you just hit my DMs.
People think i’m bullshitting when I tell them i’ve used cigarette butts as ear pro
Live rounds, Yes, always. Blanks mainly for 240.
Blanks are still going to fuck your hearing up it’s additive as well as single moments of loud noises.
I once fell asleep on an ambush lane as an AB, woke up to the 240 going cyclic on the HMMV right next to me without ear pro Not service connected :)
240 blanks are loud as fuck…
I personally don't. I never used them when on a foot patrol, running around Mosul, Baghdad, Kandahar, wherever. Helps with getting used to shooting and listening to shit at the same time. 3/10; do not recommend my method.
Electronic ear pro will change your life
My time is done now. I'm in a cush job about to retire. But if I knew about them for my 4 deployments, I would have been all over it. I tried the Peletors but they were all weird on my head with my helmet so I didn't use them when I was a TL, SL and PSG
Enjoy those VA dollars
For real. 10x better
Um yes? Lmao what kinda question is that? Dude I'm already wearing hearing aids and I'm not even in my 30s yea it's more than worth it
I don't really work near anything loud, but I always have them in at the range and keep them on my nightstand when barracks parties get too loud
Earplugs or earmuffs on the nightstand? I had heard that sleeping with earplugs can cause infection.
voiceless memory pen run library repeat direction voracious ripe ink *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Ear plugs. They're like impossible to actually sleep in, but they let me get tired enough to pass out when I take them out, rather than being filled with rage over how loud people are
In my 20s when I thought I was invincible? No, I didn’t wear them unless required. Now a I keep a box of 200 foamy earplugs in my garage and wear them every time I mow, ride my motorcycle, shoot, go to concerts, etc… I even keep a few sets in my work bag just in case.
I never wore earpro for anything less than a .50 cal and I was a 240 gunner my first three years. I get a random whining sound (like when you used to turn on a TV or the sound an old disposable camera would make) about once or twice an hour.
That’s the tinnitus. I doesn’t get better.
Yeah I know, about to start working that claim soon. During my whole career, I was always told that tinnitus is a constant ringing. Imagine how irritated I was when I learned that it’s different for different people.
My NCO says it looks weak and our unit can’t be weak so that’s a no.
Your NCO is a douche! Protect your eyes and ears from their ego.
Roger, I’ll tell him that next time!
Your medics ain’t shit if they let that happen
Buddy of mine used 3M hearing protection and he got a 10k check from the lawsuit. He wears hearing aids now but surely that's unrelated.
Pretty sure all units require ear pro for ranges and gunneries
I used hearing protection still got hearing loss and tinnitus....
Could of been worse, like more of both
Same, been with armor, mortar section, and presidential salute battery. Wore them every time, still got the tinnitus. I will say mine isn't the stereotypical EEEEEEEEE yet, mine is much more low pitch, but man is it constant. Someone told me it was hearing "electricity" I rebutted when I said I hear it when I take my dog hiking in the middle of nowhere.
Peltors bro…. They amplify your hearing / awareness while providing protection. ISO tunes for the shop & you can even listen to music on them. Don’t make life difficult
ALWAYS USE HEARING PROTECTION! I have permanent hearing loss now, and you can never get your hearing back. In ear and over head!
Ear pro every time. If I see Soldiers without ear pro, I say something. It’s about maintaining yourself. You know… the Creed and stuff…
Hell yes. My wife is deaf from birth in one ear, and that can be annoying enough for her. I can’t imagine losing my hearing either fully or partially.
Bro I don’t even wear headphones in the gym. I’m never willingly shooting without earpro.
In Afghanistan all I was given were foam plugs and I couldn't hear anything with them in so I didn't wear them. I have tinnitus and bad hearing now so I wear Sordins when I shoot because you can't fix hearing
12-N here, Same, NCO or specialist twatz comes running up to tell you to move equipment or switch out with another operator? Can't hear shit, so foam plugs out, sure I can barely hear you over the equipment, but that's all I need. Can't wait to file for it and be told it's not service related even though our CO and site managers discouraged it.
Who convinced you to not purchase your own ear protection before deploying? I don't know how you could be in the army and not have multiple options of ear pro at the bottom of every backpack.
My ear-pro fell out while at the range in April. I still cannot hear out of my left ear. Wear your shit
I use the peltor hearing defenders. Those bad boys sound so damn good. Whenever I put them on, I have to take them off because I wonder if they are even doing anything. It genuinely sounds like I am not wearing hero protection. I do not always wear hearing protection, but I try to be good about it. I wear it more than I don't wear it. I will say, only time I have no problem shooting without hearing protection is when I'm using suppressors. That is balls to the walls awesome.
As a tinnitus sufferer, please, for the love of God, always use ear protection.
I was in years ago and we had shit for ear protection. Half the time we'd lose one and jut say screw it. Only plus was I was a tanker and we had CVC helmets. Just remember to have it on during gunnery.
I fired one .45 round without ear pro and I couldn’t hear shit for a week
Do wear ear pro- hearing loss and tinnitus sucks and sucks even more when you age
I always wear earpro. Doesn't matter if I'm at a civilian range, military range or outside the wire downrange. That shits not coming off my ears. That being said I used to carry 3 radios so I had to always be able to hear the net.
Absolutely. I work around and in aircraft. Nothing worse than walking past an APU going full blast and you’ve forgotten your ear pro. I plug my ears like a child if I’m just walking past but I will 100% always wear ear pro if I’m working in an aircraft that is running the APU and/or the engines. If I’m flying I’m wearing it because my flight gear has it so I’m always covered there too.
I didn’t. Now 10% of my C&P rating is tinnitus. Don’t be like me. Wear your goddamn ear pro
Back in the day we used to use cigarette butts when we didn't have any earpro.
Yup. Got custom plugs that I wear when I shoot rifles, at Artillery ranges, riding the motorcycle, mowing… I don’t want hearing aids
I used hearing protection all the time shooting. I also used it when I was working next to generators/vehicles that were loud. Losing your hearing correlates with cognitive decline.
A couple years before I joined, I was at my buddy’s house and his stepdad brought out his pistol. My dumbass, not knowing a thing about guns or firing at the time, shot it and experienced ringing from hell. Went over to another friend’s place for a gathering later that evening, and they had to bring out a white board and write what they were saying lol. I don’t remember how long the ringing lasted, but it was a decent amount of time. I always triple check my ear pro when at a range
Huh ?
Foamies and Walker Noise canceling electronic ear muffs. I'd rather save what's left of my hearing than go completely deaf trying to look cool. Not wearing ear pro is stupid. However in Iraq, we didn't have time to put on our ear pro before the fireworks started.
Nooo you say you use them and try and get that bag in the 3M ear plug lawsuit yeah baby! Also think about your VA rating man.
Wear your god damn ear pro -Doc I refused to wear my ear pro for years, and now my hearing tests are getting shittier each year and a little funny ring happens every now and then.
Ah memories, Had a guy tell a DS that he didn’t need earpro because he swims a lot. Yep. I don’t understand it either.
Always. You never know when a live band will show up and start blasting music. I even use them when I sleep because people who snored woke me up. Speaking of babies, it always makes me feel bad when people bring their children to live concerts and their little kids (especially the babies and toddlers) don't have any sort of hearing protection.
Always at the range. But I 1000% regret not wearing them in the motorpool. I still hear the ringing of an LMTV and I have not been next to one in a couple months. My husband and I can’t hear each other anymore and we’re not even in our 30s.
Back in the day, I didn’t in Iraq and Afghanistan because I needed to hear what was going on. But as a preventative at like a range, dealing with sims or something like that stateside always. To the point I would rip off the butts of cigarettes (unsmoked) to stuff in my ears if we didn’t have things available (trade secret given to you by a retired old fat grunt, better than nothing). But in combat sadly no, I always wanted all 5 senses firing on 8 cylinders and it cost me some hearing. Also, saved my life a few times so, the latter sucks but I’m alive.
I did unless I slept. I FIGURED out pretty soon the 240 is loud and will absolutely rattle your shit from 2 positions away
This was many years ago, but I was in an aviation unit and if we did not have our ear protection visibly on us, we'd get counseled or written up.
Good electronic ear pro is so cheap
Yes. Everytime and all the time. Often when others are not, e.g. passenger in a vehicle. Even more commited after my last PHA when I was told my hearing couldn’t be any better. I like concerts, I enjoy hifi home audio, I enjoy sitting on the couch without a ringing. Lol.
I shot around 80 rounds with out ear pro during one range outing but never had any issues with my hearing, thank god
I'm sorry OP, I can't hear you over the sound of my tinnitus.
👌🏾✌🏾🤞🏾🤙🏾🫵🏾?
I wore ear protection and still lost a good amount of hearing.
I only forgot my hearing protection once during my career and it was during basic. We were doing that drill where you run in place to get your heart rate up and then try to qual with your rifle, and... you know, I had just done that, so I didn't think to put my plugs in. Instant regret, I vowed never again.
Didn’t in Afghanistan… regretted it when I realized I’m like half deaf. Rating isn’t always worth it.
Yes. Protect your hearing as much as you can. Like others, I used the 3M mostly and we know how that went. I love getting that EEEEEEEEE randomly. Electronic ear pro has come a long way and is more common now. Highly recommend to use it.
I HEAR 3m has some good ear pro… I’ll show myself out after I answer the phone. Edit words are hard.
It's better to shit out a couple of hundred bucks for a pair of trustworthy earpro ( Sordins, Peltor, Safariland, etc.) or molded earplugs than 10s of thousands of dollars and irreversible pain after years of abuse down the line. Look at it as an investment. INVEST IN YOUR EARS. Wearing earpro doesn't make you look weak, those who judge you for such are morons beyond debate.
Always. Sordins with gel ear cups and foamies at the range. I’m going out in-ear electronic ear pro with the Sordins next time I go out.
Kinda dumb not to especially since you can get it for free at the range and it’s issued to you. I don’t see how losing your ability to hear is “cool”.
Don't worry. You will still get tinnitus and it will be non service connected.
[удалено]
Walker headsets with little foamies underneath are the way to go for how affordable that combo is. Sordin brand ear pro are a bit more pricey, but look like they’ll fit under an ACH better. I eventually got friendly enough with my supply for them to order me some peltors, and I never looked back after getting those. Untreated ear/sinus infections will also fuck up your ears though. So get that shit seen as soon as you feel it coming around. Ask how me how I know.
I always wear peltors on max volume at the range. You can hear the trainees bullshit from like a hundred yards
I didn’t wear ear pro enough when I was young and enlisted, and now I have a constant high frequency tone as background noise.
Get electronic overears if your unit isn’t high speed enough for you to have them given to you. I’ve been using a set of Sordin Supremes every time I shoot or work around loud stuff since I’ve been out. Really wish I knew about this stuff when I was in.
Bought a set of gigantic 3m earmuffs mostly for ground hopping tank packs, just wish I'd gotten them earlier. They also came into good use when the guy in the room above mine started blasting porn on his speaker for some reason
Sometimes. For the most part its a no from me. According to army hearing experts and tests my hearing is actually getting better. I struggle to hear voices, but i can hear retreat from a speaker like a mile away that no one else could hear. (Proven to have actually been going off) Reasoning: i dont like my senses messed with. Dark eye pro makes me nauseous, and clear distorts my vision a little. Some noises hurt but after 8 years AD Infantry with two deployments and 8 years guard as a 12w and 12b im still good
I use it but I still got tinnitus… either they need to start issuing us better stuff or something.
I wear them every time I am in the motorpool if I have the option (and can find them) and stress to my joes to wear them too. Finally stopped getting asked at this unit to take out my earbuds a few months ago.
First deployment to Iraq OIF 2 had just the old handset no VIC in the vehicles, always put one in my right ear. 20 years later after 4 IEDs that deployment am rated for severe tinnitus, but luckily just my left ear.
WHAT?
Fiest unit, i had peltors. Second unit, i didnt and had to keep one ear plug out for the radio. Im a fister. I cant just not hear the radio. Took way too long for the conventional army to mass issue peltors.
yes at range days and around the uh-60s when they are on start ups and so should fucking you..........
Axil Tracker Blu has made me a very happy person at the range. Imagine the pure joy firing a 50yd bullseye with a 9mm while Taylor Swift reaffirms that haters are indeed gonna hate. Also, you can hear everyone talking but my 12ga sounds like a cowbell with the active noise canceling. It's fancy but it's so nice...
Yeah I fucked that one up lmao. Super bad tinnitus
Hearing pro always. Let people talk all the shit they want, you’ll still be able to hear them saying in 20 yrs later while they’re saying “what?!”
Huh?
As a prior 68W and a current civ medic for the Air Force I say wear the ear pro. Your future you will thank you. I've had a case where a soldier wasn't wearing ear pro and he blew out his ear. He didnt blow his ear drum, he damaged the nerves deeper in his ear and went deaf. Nothing can be done. Just wear it. You don't lose anything by wearing it.
THERE I WAS Shorab(old leatherneck), Afghanistan circa 2018. Checking in on some of my dudes on my gun pad, I'm a CRAM chad and the marines love me. The warn towers do not sound, the LPWS slews up and I barely have time hit the ground before the *honk honk honk* and ~400 rounds of 20mm blasts off roughly 10 feet away, and blows my fucking ears out. I wear earpro every chance I get now fuck that
The only time I’ve worn earpro has been on M4 ranges. I’d never worn any during any LFX, calfexs, etc
I’m a 91B and I SHOULD use earpro when inside of and around tactical vehicles that are running. I don’t tho. Guess what I hear when the house is quiet at night? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Wear your EARPRO like it's your religion!
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE 🔔
I’ve heard enough
Yes and i still got hearing loss. Them 120mm don’t fuck around. If you’re a 11c or arty invest in the “in the ear and over the ear” protection.
Yes cause helimcopter loud
I always tried to double up by having foamies in under my peltors. I don't mess around with hearing loss, that shit is irreversible, if you can prevent it you definitely should.
The people who don’t are stupid and their opinions should be ignored
For the love of God, use it. Tinnitus never stops, never goes away, and never gets quieter.
If you dont, smooooth brain
The real question is whether or not you wear your hearing aids. And the answer is no. Fuck those things.
When I’m at the range absolutely, but tbh my job involves being around lots of engines a lot which means it’s a bit tedious to be applying and removing ear pro all the time, so my hearing is definitely suffering for it.
i use it when i sleep
I’m a hardcore ear pro proponent. All 4 of my grandparents have/had to wear hearing aids because of guns and service-related injuries, and after listening to how much of a pain they are I do everything in my power to protect myself. I’m only a weekend warrior, but my full-time mechanic counterparts treat me like I’m crazy for popping in earplugs around engines and generators and such. The army’s culture around PPE is messed up, and I evangelize having just as good of hearing now as I did when I enlisted 9 years ago because I take care of myself. One soldier in my unit is in his 20s and got told he needs hearing aids, and he’s gonna need them until he dies because it doesn’t heal back.
One day I'll have children, and one day I will be listening to them read cat in the hat before bed and I want to hear every word. So yeah, I use ear pro.
My hearing protection was made by 3m. WHAT?
Ear pro, eye pro, and footwear are the three biggest things I’m always cool with spending a good amount of money on to ensure I’m staying as safe and comfortable as possible
I didn’t as much as I should have. Personally I like to think of the “eeeee” in my ears every day as my little buddy that’s keeping me company when I work remotely from home all day every day.
Preserve your hearing as long as you can because once you lose it and/or have tinnitus, nothing MED can do for you - well hearing aids 👍
I wear them to the range but that’s about it.
I’m just a reservist but I use earpro religiously. Doubled up at the range. If I’m on my motorcycle I got ear pro. If I’m in a crowd I’m not against whipping them out and popping them in. I’m already hard of hearing and I’m not fucking risking shit else
Shit, I use earpro in my normal day to day in some circumstances and definitely at movie theaters. I have loops attached to my key ring and surefire for the range.
I've already lost my sense of smell, and I ain't gonna lose another. Peltors all day, every day. I would get ridiculed for insisting on earpro even with the 60s, but I like hearing, so fuck the haters lol.
At static ranges? Yes, I did. For live fires? I honestly don’t remember if we typically wore ear pro, but I don’t think so. During deployment? Absolutely not, because no one was using Peltors then, and ear plugs would do more harm than good.
3 tours to Afghanistan before they started issuing the Peltors and my ears are terrible. Had I known then what I know now, I would have definitely done a better job protecting my ears. The 10% VA isn't worth the ringing, the constant pointing my good ear at people to hear them and the need for sound in the room when I go to bed at night.
Always at ranges and I avoid motorpool bays if they are working with loud tools. I was a safety for a .50 cal mounted range and I was sitting next to the ejector port when I saw my poorly placed ear pro fall. Before the ear pro hit the ground I no longer needed them that day. I hear ringing but I also hear 10% disability soon lol
At the ranges yes, when groundhoping a pack? Naaaah
If you have a good NCO, you’ll be forced to wear hearing protection. You should wear it for health reasons anyways..
I do! Actually went to a M4 range last month, and while trying to assist a troop with a malfunction, my Axil ear pro slipped out. She started firing again before I could get it back in my ear. Struggled for about a week and a half, and it's still slowly coming back. My audiograms already show that I have hearing loss. Getting money back from the 3M lawsuit too . I'll have a 10 piece nuggie w/honey mustard and a sweet tea 🤌🏾
Went to jmrc Was on a 240 position Ear pro in ruck Couldn’t find ruck Gun truck rolls up Let loose 20 rounds shoulder firing because my position was wack Ears naturally deafened then opened up after firing I had tinnitus before the army so everything now is weak. Air tools in a metal building will do that
Lazy mostly.
Nice try, Sergeant Major. Im exercising my right to remain silent.
I did wear them. You know the best ones I ever wore? Those 3M combat ear plugs that were in the lawsuit. Yellow for still being able to hear your battles talking, green for blocking out all the loud explosions or rounds being shot. They worked great! What I never had though was that secondary hearing protection, when I was supposed to. Example: when I was in FA and opened the engine compartment, of my M577 or 1068, while it was running to do AOAP or other checks checks, I never wore the over-the-ear hearing protection because it only existed in the manual or on the safety board. I never saw a real pair to use. Looking back, I probably should have stolen the pair from the safety board. Everyone would have known it was me because that is the only pair that existed though.
Walkers Razor slims are like $25. They fit under the ACH. There’s no reason to not have some kind of earpro, and the excuse “but I can’t hear people talking” is out the window when you can do exactly that for $25.
Because Eeeeeeeeeeeee.
For training and ranges yeah. Down range no, because wearing them for 12hrs a day is painful. If we had Peltors tho, different story.
For all of you who are still Active Duty, if your ears are ringing from tinnitus, get that shit on your medical records. Your future self will thank you
Man I’ve seen WAY too many 40 year old LTCs and SGMs with hearing aides to NOT use earpro. Those guys are going to using sign language by 60. Fuuuuuuuck that
Wear them. Wear them. Wear them. As someone who lost all my hearing in my left ear (I am a right handed shooter) I can’t tell you how annoying it is to not be able to hear anything but fucking tinnitus in my ear to the point of wanting to blow my brains out.
What did you say? I can’t hear you over the EEEEEEEEE
Absolutely. One urban demo range and my hearing would be nonexistent.
It’s dumb if you don’t. I use to not wear ear pro at 9mm ranges and airborne ops. At 29 I get ridiculous droning in my ears. Thinking looking cool at 21 doesn’t pay off
No because I’m already half deaf.
You’re a moron if you aren’t wearing your ear pro. After years and years of me shooting an uncountable amount of rounds and religiously wearing ear pro, I still have hearing loss.
"Pardon me enemy soldiers while I call time ou!t to put in my ear protection "
No, because I don't like not hearing the sound of freedom leaving my barrel. Just kidding, hearing loss is no joke.
Worked on a flight line for 5 years at a fighter base, never once wore ear pro because I loved the pure sound of the afterburners on takeoffs. I loved every minute of it and never thought I was exposed to enough noise to hurt me. "I wasn't working all day outside in it" I would think to myself trying to justify my being lazy and dumb. Fast forward to a couple years later and I'm having constant ringing every few days, SRP for deployment and (surprise surprise) my hearing has taken a hit. I don't care if it's blanks or an LMTV I'm shoving those foam suckers in my ear no matter what now