Iraq War Veterans Hearing Damaged

Thousands of War Veterans Coming Home With Hearing Damage
BY SARA GOLDENBERG

GRAND JUNCTION (KJCT)-  We hear every day of soldiers wounded in the War on Terror.

As more and more troops come home to Colorado, many are experiencing problems with their hearing, from ringing in their ears… to not being able to hear their children’s voices.

Hearing damage is the number one disability in the War on Terror, despite technological advances and mandatory hearing protection.

"It’s pretty hard to look at a 22-year-old and say, hearing aids will really help you."

In this war, fewer and fewer soldiers are able to hear the beeps when they take their hearing tests. Dustin Ludwig of Clifton got back from Iraq in January. He passed his hearing test. Dustin spent a year in Iraq in the Army’s aviation department. He wasn’t in a combat zone, but he was constantly around extremely loud noises…

"Where I was, we did get mortared, and I did hear it, and it was pretty loud even with earplugs in," he said.     

Hearing protection is provided for all soldiers, and it’s mandatory they use their earplugs.

"The uniform was part of having an earplug case with your fitted earplugs to go with your uniform," said Ludwig.  

Dustin says ear plugs were strictly enforced in his unit.     

"The standard still was the same for everybody. Whether they were in a building or out on a flatline," said Ludwig.

The V.A. Hospital in Grand Junction is the first place many veterans from Western Colorado and Utah go for hearing tests once they get home.

Kathy Prinster is a clinical audiologist.

"Dustin was not very typical in that it sounds like he consistently wore hearing protection," she said.

Prinster says high frequency hearing loss is a common problem. She says many of the vets she’s seeing admit they didn’t use their earplugs in combat.

"A lot of them, we’ll ask them if they wore hearing protection, and no," said Prinster.   

She says it’s all about self preservation.

"They’re riding in these humvees in the streets, and they truly don’t want to block off any of their senses. They want to know what’s going on around them," she said.

Dustin says there are earplugs for those situations.  Some are made to be flipped. One side of the earplug blocks all noise in combat, and the other allows background noise to filter through.

"If they’re not wearing them, they’re supposed to be," said Ludwig.

But earplugs aren’t enough to protect soldiers ears from roadside bombs and attacks.

"There’s a certain point when a blast happens next to you, hearing protection or not, there’s going to be some injury," said Prinster.

Prinster says it’s difficult for many veterans to accept their hearing loss, and it takes time for them to adjust. Grand Junction’s V.A. Hospital offers counseling and fitted earplugs to veterans who need them for their post service jobs. Once vets are home, there are ways to prevent further damage.

 

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