Sir, - I agree with everything Col F. J. Dunne says (January 5th) and now add comments of my own.
Military personnel who have qualified in training may fire annual range practices in accordance with regulations. Ammunition is very expensive and its expenditure is carefully controlled and recorded. The number of rounds fired by individuals is comparatively small. While serving in the Military College I supervised the firing of thousands of rounds of small arms ammunition each year plus hundreds of rounds of medium mortar ammo. From 1943 to 1955 I never came across a complaint of deafness.
In my life I have known many women and men whose hearing has worsened during life. Not one ever fired a weapon. I presume that members of the Defence Forces are subject to this natural deterioration even if they have never or very rarely fired weapons. How then can the separate causes of deafness be identified and separately assessed for compensation?
With regard to ear defenders, such items were provided. I personally supervised their issue in the early 1950s.
Now hear this. As deafness may occur for one reason or another so can loss of vision. All around us there are people who must wear spectacles, if only to be able to read the telephone directory. Members of the Defence Forces are taught to close the disengaged eye when taking aim during training and during range practices. Surely this must place a considerable strain on the aiming eye seeking the tip of the foresights and the target?
Could this strain damage the aiming eye, dimming its vision? Could there be another gold mine just above our noses? We shall see. - Yours, etc.,
From L Corr (Comdt Retd)
Priory Drive, Stillorgan, Co Dublin.