When Robert Conley, 22, left his New Hampshire home in 2004 to join the Army, he never thought flying home for a visit would cause him physical pain, he said. But it did because of the damage to his ears he suffered as a result of his combat experience in Iraq.

He is one of many soldiers suffering from noise-induced hearing loss, a condition specialists now consider an “epidemic” within the military.

Sixty percent of soldiers who return from Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from noise-induced hearing loss, and 49 percent also suffer from tinnitus, a potentially debilitating ringing of the ears, according to military audiology reports.

While troops are educated in the proper use of special noise-blocking devices, many audiologists and soldiers say any kind of earplug is impractical.

“While you want soldiers to protect their hearing, you also want them to be able to hear what’s going on around them to keep them safe,” said Nashua-based audiologist Peggy Sheets. “It’s like choosing the lesser of two evils.”

The damage caused by the “lesser” evil is now costing the government more money than ever in compensation to veterans, said Jennifer DuPriest, director of advocacy and public policy for the American Tinnitus Association.

Hearing loss can be quick

With an Improvised Explosive Device explosion sounding at over 140 decibels, a single blast can cause hearing loss or tinnitus instantly, DuPriest said.

Conley, who grew up in Gonic, outside Rochester, said his hearing was “immaculate” when he enlisted, but it deteriorated when he became a gunner for his platoon in Iraq.

The first time a bomb blew out his hearing was four months into his deployment, while he was manning the weaponry on top of a Bradley, a minitank, he said.   “We rolled over a bomb,” said Conley, now stationed in Kentucky. “I just remember being knocked out and then coming to and seeing smoke. I guess my commanding officer was screaming, ‘Conley, are you OK?’ over and over, but I couldn’t hear anything.”

The blast caused his ears to bleed, he said, but after a few days of silence his hearing came back.

He said he lost his hearing six times in Iraq, but that wasn’t a lot compared to others in his platoon.

“There are 19 guys in my platoon,” Conley said. “One lost (his hearing) 17 times. You don’t think it’s a big deal because it happens to everyone. They tell us to suck it up, so we do.”

The decibel level of today’s warfare is the primary reason for an increase in hearing loss, DuPriest said.

“War has always been loud. However, in this particular war, it’s being fought mostly on the ground,” she said. “IEDs detonate at a sound pressure level of 140 decibels, which is loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage and tinnitus in just a few milliseconds.”

Marine Sgt. Francisco Urena of Lawrence was honorably discharged in 2005 after being struck in the cheek with shrapnel in Iraq.

Once home, he started worrying about more than his face and his sore back — he kept having to ask people to repeat themselves two or three times before he could understand what they were saying.

“I thought I was having hearing loss,” said Urena, now Lawrence’s veterans agent. “I got tested a couple times. It came back to normal after a while. Everything is loud over there. Even the way people talk. ... And you have the preventive ear protection, but sometimes you get carried away. ...

“You don’t know when an IED is going to go off next to your tank,” Urena said. “There’s some things you can’t control.”

Earplugs get mixed reviews

New Hampshire National Guardsman Luke Koladish was one of more than 339,000 veterans on disability for tinnitus in 2005. Koladish, who served a year in Iraq, collects $115 a month in compensation, which DuPriest said is the standard payment.

Koladish, who grew up in Windham and now attends the University of New Hampshire, said the high-pitched whine in his ears is more noticeable when he watches TV or reads.

“I just try and ignore it,” Koladish said. “It’s scary though because (the VA Center) tells you there’s always a chance your hearing could deteriorate more over time.”

In Iraq, Koladish said, he was stationed near an airstrip, constantly surrounded by loud air traffic.

“The official word is, you’re supposed to wear ear and eye protection at all times,” he said. “But if you’re in the field and have to take your earplugs out to complete a mission, you do it.”

Conley said using earplugs in combat is more of a liability than anything.

“If you wear earplugs, you can’t hear what’s going on around you,” said Conley, whose job as a cavalry scout requires him to be even more aware of his surroundings while he scopes out buildings. “The Bradleys are loud, too, but you still need to be able to hear what’s coming over the radio, so you don’t always wear the earplugs.”

Cavalry scout Matthew Reardon, who grew up in Nashua, said he hasn’t been in combat yet, but his hearing has already been affected.

“The only time anyone actually wears earplugs is when we’re training at a range,” said Reardon, 21, who trained in Egypt for four months. “You just can’t wear your radio and the plugs at the same time.”

Reardon’s father, a disabled veteran, also experienced hearing loss as a result of his time in the military.

North Andover Veterans Agent Edward Mitchell said older veterans have a harder time proving their hearing loss was a result of their service.

“I have older veterans who just don’t have the documentation,” Mitchell said. “In the old days there were no real ear protections. But they didn’t get tested either. ... You know it contributed. They were in engine rooms with no ear plugs. But you can’t prove it, so it makes it difficult for us.”

Risk to others

DuPriest said studies have shown hearing-impaired soldiers can put their entire platoon at risk, as well as themselves.

Hearing impairment may delay a soldier’s ability to identify a target by up to 50 seconds, according to “Tank Gunner Performance and Hearing Impairment,” a study published in a 1990 Army Research, Development, and Acquisition magazine.

Anything over 85 decibels of steady noise (aircraft or tanks) or 140 decibels of impulse noise (bombs or weapon fire) can cause damage, according to the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine.

The helicopters most commonly used for transport all present steady noise at over 100 decibels, according to the center’s Web site.

“The Bradleys can get up to 158 decibels,” DuPriest said. “And that’s not even when they’re firing the gun.”

DuPriest said even small changes can make a big difference.

“Look at the old aircraft carriers and ships that aren’t acoustically sound,” DuPriest said. “When (the Army) improves body armor and helmets, why not improve them for hearing, too? Without change, this is going to be one of those things that spirals out of control.”

Staff writer Crystal Bozek contributed to this report.