By Anita Giles MS, CCC-A Audiologist
Physicians Hearing Center
North Alabama ENT Associates
On July 4, 1776 a young America declared independence from rule by Great Britain. Britain’s defeat at the 1781 Battle of Yorktown marked the conclusion of the American Revolution. Challenges and conflict arise and on June 18, 1812 Congress declared war on Great Britain. The War of 1812 establishes the young United States as credible among other nations. It was during this conflict, that lawyer and poet, Francis Scott Key, became a prisoner on a British ship while negotiating the release of American prisoners. As a prisoner on the night of September 13, 1814, he watched the relentless bombardment of Baltimore. As morning dawned, he was able to see the garrison American flag flying above Fort McHenry and penned a poem expressing pride in the American people, which later became our national anthem.
O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
America has remained a strong nation but not without taking up conflicts and causes. The power or right to act, speak, and change without being governed/ruled by another country has not been “free”. It has come at a cost to our military service members, whether the wounds are physical, psychological, or the ultimate sacrifice—loss of life.
Loud noise has been present in warfare since the invention of gunpowder over a thousand years ago. As weapons and equipment have become more powerful, so has the level of damaging noise that our military personnel are exposed to. The threat to hearing posed by the loud sound levels was recognized during earlier conflicts but World War II was the catalyst resulting in action being taken to prevent and rehabilitate hearing loss. Losing the ability to hear and communicate was one of the many sacrifices resulting from military service. Permanent hearing loss and tinnitus (ear noises) are invisible wounds.
In the 1940’s, thousands of servicepersons returned from WWII with significant hearing deficits. Hearing loss became a public health concern. The U.S. government established multidisciplinary hearing rehabilitation programs at military hospitals to test, monitor and treat hearing issues. In 1943, the Army assigned Captain Raymond Carhart, PhD, the mission to provide hearing rehabilitation services and dispense hearing aids (HAs) to military personnel with hearing loss. He developed testing and standardized protocols to evaluate the ability to understand speech and help HAs users in everyday spoken communication. The scientific study of hearing became the field of Audiology with the first academic audiology program opening in 1946 at Northwestern University. The profession of Audiology has focused on the measurement of hearing, the impact of hearing loss on communication and social function, as well as treatment options.
No matter what branch of service, those who serve are, at some time, likely exposed to noise. Artillery, machine noise, aircraft, combat noise, etc. can impact the ability to hear in the short term and long term. Hearing evaluations to determine hearing threshold levels before service and monitor for change during and after service are part of a soldier’s life.
Hearing loss and related disorders are among the most common service-connected disabilities faced by American veterans today. The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Annual Benefits Report for fiscal year 2021 reported more than 4 million veterans received disability compensation for auditory disabilities, primarily hearing loss and tinnitus. In the U.S., the Veteran’s Administration is the number one employer of audiologists and dispenses 1/5th of all hearing aids. If you served in the military, the VA provides hearing healthcare for those who qualify.
The veterans of the WWs have inadvertently provided long-term solutions for anyone with hearing loss. THANK YOU, veterans, for your service and sacrifices. One of the freedoms you provided is the opportunity for better hearing health. As a result of their service, you have audiologists to evaluate and treat your hearing loss.
Resources:
https://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/educational-resources.aspx
Early Clinical Audiology – The Legacy of Dr. Moe Bergman and the WWII Audiologists
https://www.asha.org
https://www.research.va.gov/topics/hearing.cfm
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