Troops suffering permanent hearing loss
Story By: Bea Karnes
Source: AP
Hearing damage has become the Number one disability in the war on terror, according to figures from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Soldiers caught in roadside bombings and firefights in Iraq and Afghanistan are coming home in epidemic numbers with permanent hearing loss and ringing in their ears.
Among them is former Staff Sergeant Ryan Kelly of Texas, who carries the noise of war with him even four years after he lost his leg in a blast near Baghdad. His leg has since been replaced with a prosthetic, but his ears are still ringing -- a constant reminder
of getting hit.
The numbers show 60 percent of U.S. personnel exposed to blasts suffer permanent hearing loss. The military has been redoubling its efforts to protect troops from noise. Steps include providing troops with better and easier-to-use earplugs and increased testing to detect ear injuries.
