Hearing Protection May Have Been Overlooked By Some During Combat Operations

Some soldiers expected hearing loss to be part of being in the military

Monday, March 30, 2020 - The importance of perfect hearing during combat operations cannot be underestimated. Stealthiness and quietness are two key ingredients to maintain the element of surprise the key to a successful battlefield engagement. Some military veterans say that they decided against wearing hearing protection for fear of failing to be able to hear low decibel operational commands and low-frequency sounds an enemy might make that could expose their position or intentions. Soldiers on patrols would walk slowly and quietly down a road or path then suddenly halt and squatting based on a hand signal from the soldier upfront on the point indicating that the enemy may be near. Seeing or hearing the enemy without being seen or heard themselves makes the difference between life and death. Next to rifleman-ship and courage, perfect hearing is one of the most important battlefield traits a soldier can possess. 3M Army Earplug lawsuits are represented by top national attorneys with vast experience handling big corporations litigations and offer a free consultation.

Soldiers have a choice to wear or not wear the hearing protection that is provided to them and is a decision that they make every day. Soldiers have told the General Accounting Office (GAO) that they expected to lose some of their hearing and that it was par for the course of serving their country. As a result of defective hearing protection, however, over 2.5 million US military veterans are receiving disability benefits due to hearing damage, the number one cause of military injury. Soldiers are fine with using hearing protection when training on the rifle or mortar range or while riding in helicopters or Humvee. Walking on a patrol and preparing to ambush or be ambushed by the enemy is a different story.

To try and meet the need for both excellent hearing and hearing protection, 3M Inc. sold the 3M Dual-Sided Combat Army Earplug to soldiers telling them that the device would protect them from battlefield rifle noises and explosions while still allowing quiet battlefield commands to be heard. An employee blew the whistle on the company, however, and exposed that 3M knew in advance that the earplugs would not work as advertised and were often too short or too thin to block loud noises. Thousands of soldiers lost their hearing or suffered tinnitus because the one-size-fits-all earplugs did not fit every soldier's ear canal.

Today, thousands of soldiers have contacted an Army Earplug attorney and have filed claims for monetary damages from 3M alleging that the company took advantage of the wartime needs of the nation and profited without providing the hearing protection they advertised. According to KPBS News, the whistleblower lawsuits exposed the negligence of 3M in selling a faulty hearing device to the US military. "The government alleged both companies knew the plugs had a design flaw even and didn't disclose it. 3M paid $9.1 million to the government and a whistleblower to settle the claim, but in the settlement did not admit liability or guilt. None of the settlement money went to the former service members who wore the earplugs. A 3M spokeswoman declined to comment."

More Recent 3M Earplug Lawsuit News:

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• 3 Cases Selected For Army Hearing Loss Trial | 1/29/2021
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• Military Veteran Hearing Loss Trials to Start in Spring 2021 | 12/26/2020
• Hundreds of Veterans Continue To Sign Up To Sue 3M For Defective Earplugs | 12/14/2020
• 3M's Greed Contributed To Thousands of Military Deaths and Injuries | 12/6/2020
• Taxpayers Foot The Bill For Army Earplugs That Turned Out To Be Defective | 11/21/2020
• Tinnitus Sufferers May Have Difficulties For The Remainder of Their Lives | 11/14/2020
• Aearo Inc. and 3M Took Shorcuts And Did Not Properly Redesign The Combat Army Earplugs | 11/3/2020
• US Military Alleges 3M Fraudulently Represented The Army Earplug | 10/27/2020
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• 200,000 Military Veterans Suing 3M For Defective Hearing Protection | 8/31/2020
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• Federal Judge Rules 3M Is Responsible For The Army Earplug Design | 7/28/2020
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• Army Veterans With Tinnitus Are Unable To Live Normal Lives | 6/29/2020
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• Whistleblowers Can Save Taxpayers Money and Military Servicemember Lives | 10/15/2019
• New Army Earplug Lawsuit Accuses 3M of Fraud | 10/11/2019
• Military Veterans Are Suing 3M For Making Faulty Earplugs | 10/7/2019
• Military Personel Suffering From Tinnitus Have Found Ways To Alleviate Their Suffering | 9/26/2019
• Hearing Loss is Now Recognized For The Debilitating Service Injury It Is | 9/17/2019
• US Service Members Are Spreading The Word About The Faulty And Defective 3M Combat Army Earplug | 9/12/2019
• 3M Vows to Fight Lawsuits Alleging The Faulty Design of the 3M Combat Army Earplug | 8/28/2019
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• 3M Army Earplug Lawsuits Are Moving Forward To Discovery in Multi-District Litigation | 6/27/2019
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• Service Members Have Needlessly Lost Hearing Due to 3M's Fraud, Deceit, and Deception | 6/11/2019
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• Service Members Experience Hearing Loss From Defective Earplugs | 5/14/2019
• Army Servicemen Are Filing Hearing Loss Claims Against Earplug Maker 3M | 5/9/2019
• Hearing Loss From Defective Army Earplugs On The Frontlines and The Practice Range | 5/1/2019
• Hearing Loss Can Be A Deadly Battlefield Injury | 4/26/2019
• Servicemen Describe Hearing Loss Caused By The 3M Army Earplug | 4/22/2019
• The False Claims Act website helps whistleblower anonymously come forward easily and without fear of reprisals by their superiors | 4/15/2019
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• Soldiers Are Filing Claims Against 3M Army Earplugs | 4/8/2019
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• Whistleblower Reports Defective 3M Army Earplugs | 4/2/2019
• Service Member Suffer Tinnitus From Defective 3M Army Earplugs | 3/29/2019

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