Life and Deaf in the Military
Enrollment in the U.S. Military is at an all time low. Citizens are
aware that in signing a contract with the armed forces, they are also
liable to be called up in the future and forced back into uniform.
America has always been prone to war-weariness, and once a conflict has
grown unfashionable, enlistment cuts off. To counteract the low
enlistment rates, many provisions have been made to allow otherwise
"unqualified" individuals to join. However, while ex-convicts are now
serving in the active military, Deaf and hard of hearing citizens are
still denied a place.
Classified as H-4, having severe hearing loss, these individuals are
deemed by the military to be too different to accommodate into the
existing military life. It has been determined by the military high ups
that while those that can't hear can perform every other job in the
United States, being a soldier requires that you catch every word being
shouted at all times. To the Deaf community this is a form of
discrimination that has no place in America, and that if allowed, many
of their community would gladly serve (despite the low pay and bad
food).
What is odd about American military standards are that they are not
on par with those of other modern nations. Israel requires military
service out of Deaf citizens just like everyone else, and provides
training in sign language to those who could use it. And while American
Deafs couldn't join the Army in World War Two, there are many stories
circulating about Deaf individuals serving in the German army, some even
achieving positions in the SS. And while people now wouldn't think
highly about anyone serving in the SS, it makes sense that anyone in
that particular service was visible enough that they couldn't simply
hide their state of deafness from their officers, thus it must have been
accepted by the military structure.
There is no reason as far as I can tell to continue to deny the
enlistment, or drafting, of Deaf and hard of hearing people from the
military. Any important orders issued from an officer to a soldier are
usually done face to face, and lip reading is therefore utilized. A
drill sergeant chewing out a trainee is most definitely communicated
with close proximity of faces, and thus H-4's could understand and quake
in fear just like everyone else. Any order shouted to a group of
soldiers that wasn't lip-read could be comprehended quickly based on the
actions of fellow soldiers, or at least emulated. Even in the situation
that a Deaf soldier was being shot at, he may not hear the bullets but
its not like you can dodge bullets anyways. If the first volley hit the
said soldier, he would definitely know it, and if not hit could figure
out very quickly based on the ducking and scrambling motions of other
soldiers.
In this day and age, it is simple stupidity to think that the Deaf
and hard of hearing can't be useful soldiers. Yet the continued efforts
of the Deaf community for admittance into the United States Armed Forces
seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
Sources:
Warnow, Morton. The Deaf in the Military. Modern Deaf Communication,
Inc. Retrieved 27, March. 2008: http://www.danbury.org/moderndeafcommunication/deaf_in_military.htm
Feldman, Shane. (2007, Feb. 15). Deaf Soldiers. Deaf DC.com Retrieved
27, March. 2008: http://www.deafdc.com/blog/shane-feldman/2007-02-15/deaf-soldiers/
Eric Malzkuhn: Military Service. Deaf People + WW2. National Technical
Institute for the Deaf. Retrieved 12, Feb. 2001:http://www.rit.edu/~deafww2/