Capt M. A. M. Grantham, MS, USA
In July 1998, a soldier being counseled about hearing conservation in track vehicles reported that the earcups currently in use by his unit degraded in the heat of tank operations in Kuwait. The CVC earcups presented by this soldier would probably not provide adequate hearing protection and significantly reduce communication abilities within the tank. Since asking track vehicle operators for anecdotal evidence about the pros and cons of the older, black earcups versus the gel and foam earcups used by the first soldier, a third earcup has slowly been entering the system - foam without gel. User satisfaction with the three different kinds of CVC earcups currently in use was assessed for 350 (number may reach 500) soldiers at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Any differences noted may lead to practical recommendations to the manufacturer of the current earcups, aiding our track vehicle operators/users with both hearing conservation and better communications both in training and warfighting.