Comments by "Sar Jim" (@sarjim4381) on "The Naval Battle of Okinawa" video.

@caesarillion Combat deafness was a huge problem right up to and through the Vietnam war. It wasn't just the 5" guns that were used for shore bombardment and antiaircraft defense that caused deafness, it was the smaller guns like the quad 40 mm mounts and 20 mm cannon. These tertiary guns fired millions of round during the Kamikaze attacks, and even long term exposure to rifle fire without hearing protection could cause later loss of hearing. The same issues applied to artillerymen ashore. My brother was was assigned as a battery captain to a 105 mm battery in the Mekong Delta and has profound hearing loss on his right ear from all the firing his battery did during the ten months he spent in the Delta. It was only all the VA medical claims for deafness that finally convinced the military to provide hearing protection starting the late 80's.
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