The Corps is fielding a new headset for grunts, meaning infantry Marines can soon ditch their earplugs and both protect their hearing and actually talk during a firefight.

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Marine Corps Systems Command began fielding the hearing enhancement devices in July to infantry Marines. Upcoming officers at The Basic School used them during anti-armor anti-personnel weapons system live fires at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.

&#;This hearing enhancement device protects Marines from noise levels that are above safe hearing levels,&#; Chief Warrant Officer 4 David Tomlinson, Systems Command&#;s infantry weapons officer, said in a press release. &#;It also allows for sound localization, which means you can tell where a voice or noise is coming from.&#;

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The fielding is starting with the Corps&#; East and West Coast experimental battalions and will roll out to all infantry and &#;infantry-like&#; battalions across the force during the next two fiscal years, a Systems Command spokesman said.

&#;Every infantry Marine within a BN gets a set.&#;

The ruggedized headset can work in extreme cold or in jungle heat, according to the release.

Two versions are being fielded. Both allow for users to hear messages coming via a connection to their communication device, be that a handheld or man-packable radio system. But only one allows the user to talk on the network with a push-to-talk adapter and cables.

One feature allows Marines to listen to radio traffic even when the system is powered down, staying linked into comms while saving batteries.

&#;A major goal of this system is to increase communication in loud, noisy environments so Marines can continue to do their job,&#; Tomlinson said.

Noise, especially during a firefight, has been getting a lot more attention in recent years in all areas of military training and operations.

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Both protecting hearing and enabling better tactical communications have led to the adoption of suppressors for rifles. Headsets like the HED allow for hearing protection and talking.

Suppressors, which Marine Corps Times reported on in recent years, including widespread fielding that began in December , allow for units to retain a tactical edge by maintaining lower noise signatures when engaging an adversary.

Often the target won&#;t know where the shooting is coming from, putting them off balance for a quick response.

A different headset with some of the same capabilities as HED was fielded to fill an urgent priority to artillery and reconnaissance Marines in late through early , Marine Corps Times previously reported.

That was a smaller fielding effort that had a planned delivery of 4,519 headsets produced by the company INVISO. Those were also communications-enabled headsets, Systems Command confirmed.

Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since and was named a Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.

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Service member hearing protection emphasized on World Hearing Day

By Russell Toof

The World Health Organization has designated March 3 as World Hearing Day. The WHO estimates 466 million people have disabling hearing loss. By , that figure will almost double, affecting one in 10 people.

While the Army trains in order to maintain Soldier readiness, protecting those Soldiers&#; hearing remains a key safety component.

&#;Hearing loss prevention is the cornerstone of a hearing conservation program,&#; said Capt. Theresa Galan, the chief of the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center Hearing Conservation Clinic. &#;Our goal is always to educate and equip our service members to protect their hearing when in hazardous noise in order to prevent hearing loss. Good hearing enhances the survivability and the lethality of our joint warfighters and improves their quality of life.&#;

For example, Soldiers and Marines that use the Multi-purpose Anti-armor Anti-personnel Weapon System could potentially be exposed to incredibly high noise levels if adequate hearing protection isn&#;t used.

&#;The MAAWS is the loudest shoulder-fired weapon in the military&#;s arsenal with noise levels exceeding 188 decibels and personnel must wear double hearing protection with deeply fitting foam earplugs and earmuffs,&#; said Galan. &#;Our warfighters must train as they fight, so it is important to choose the right kind of hearing protection for the task.&#;

World Hearing Day is designed to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world. The theme of World Hearing Day is Hearing care for ALL! Screen. Rehabilitate. Communicate.

For service members, noise-induced hearing loss from exposure to hazardous noise on and off-duty is the most common type of hearing injury. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing, buzzing and other sound in the ears) continue to be one of the most prevalent service-connected disabilities experienced by veterans of all services.

&#;Educating my patients on how loud is too loud and proper fitting of hearing protection is an important part of my daily job,&#; said Rosalyn Thibou, a hearing technician at Vicenza Army Health Clinic. &#;Hearing protection is not only for military noise, but also recreational noise. Turn the volume down. Soldiers should always wear hearing protection when in hazardous noise both on and off duty.&#;

Both Galan and Thibou mentioned the &#;three foot rule.&#; If you cannot hear someone talking to you from three feet away without shouting, then the noise is too loud. Walk away if possible, turn down the volume, or use hearing protection.

Every Soldier is enrolled in the Army&#;s hearing conservation program. Due to COVID-19, annual hearing exams are currently by appointment only at all Hearing Conservation Clinics in the LRMC footprint. The Landstuhl Hearing Conservation Clinic is currently the only location in Rheinland-Pfalz that appointments can be scheduled online at tricareonline.com. Appointments at other locations can be made by .

For questions regarding hearing protection, training or education, units can the Regional Army Hearing Program Manager at .

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