CPT Scott McIlwain
Audiometry has long been recognized as an important identifier of soldier readiness. Audiometry has traditionally been conducted before and after deployments. This has been adequate because deployments did not usually exceed 6 months. With the length of deployments now often exceeding 6 months, the soldiers and leaders are at a disadvantage because there is no capability of audiometry. The disadvantage for soldiers is in the form of not getting complete physical exams or thorough medical evaluations. This hinders many soldiers applying for military schooling, maintaining flight status, or general medical inquiries about dizziness, otalgia, or hearing. The leaders are at a disadvantage because hearing is an important part of soldier readiness, particularly urban terrain. Leaders need to know the status of their soldier’s readiness. If there is a concern about a soldier’s hearing, there is no way to quantify his/her hearing acuity without a medical evacuation. This paper details the recent implementation of clinical audiology, hearing conservation, and physical exams hearing screening in the Combat Support Hospitals in Iraq, which directly support combat operations in OIF.