September 2022 — MHCE Newsletter
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20 | <strong>MHCE</strong> - News www.mhce.us SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> EDITION<br />
Gulf War Syndrome. Most recently, we<br />
pushed Congress to fulfill our country's<br />
promise to take care of injured veterans<br />
by passing the PACT Act, granting<br />
benefits to service members exposed to<br />
toxic burn pits.<br />
Now, veterans across the country,<br />
including members of the Department<br />
of Minnesota VFW, are faced with a<br />
new and very different fight, stemming<br />
not from inaction by the federal<br />
government, but from misconduct by a<br />
private company.<br />
Combat Arms Earplug<br />
Manufacturer 3M Must Stop<br />
Mistreating Veterans<br />
Retired Army Chief Warrant Officer<br />
Dale Hoogeveen is the state commander<br />
of the Department of Minnesota<br />
Veterans of Foreign Wars. He served<br />
22 years in the Army, working in the<br />
nuclear weapons field and Military<br />
Intelligence Corps.<br />
Beginning in 2003, 3M sold an<br />
earplug called the Combat Arms to<br />
every branch of the military; they later<br />
became standard issue throughout<br />
much of the armed forces for soldiers<br />
deploying to combat zones such as Iraq<br />
and Afghanistan. In civilian life, people<br />
are rarely exposed to the types of highdecibel<br />
noises soldiers hear every day,<br />
the kind that can easily lead to major<br />
hearing loss if troops go unprotected.<br />
Earplugs are a crucial piece of a<br />
soldier's uniform, and the military has<br />
invested millions of dollars to identity<br />
and better treat the hearing loss that<br />
service members historically would<br />
experience after serving their country.<br />
3M claimed that its earplugs were<br />
"revolutionary." They had two sides:<br />
One would block all noise like a<br />
traditional earplug, and the other would<br />
protect troops from loud noises while<br />
allowing them to hold conversations<br />
and remain combat ready.<br />
But the earplugs never provided the<br />
protection 3M promised. Testing<br />
completed by the company's own<br />
scientists revealed the earplugs were<br />
too short and would loosen, often<br />
imperceptibly to the wearer, letting in<br />
dangerous levels of noise.<br />
Rather than making the military aware<br />
of its findings, 3M continued to claim<br />
the earplugs provided troops with<br />
proper protection, while concealing<br />
evidence to the contrary. This pattern of<br />
acting with impropriety and impunity<br />
by the company caused hundreds of<br />
thousands of service members to suffer<br />
permanent hearing damage.<br />
Throughout the Veterans of Foreign<br />
Wars' 122-year history, we've always<br />
played a critical role in advocating<br />
for the rights of wounded, sick and<br />
injured veterans. The VFW was<br />
instrumental in establishing the<br />
Veterans Administration, now known<br />
as the Department of Veterans Affairs,<br />
as well as in the fights for compensation<br />
for Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent<br />
Orange and veterans diagnosed with<br />
For more than a decade, 3M managed<br />
to avoid scrutiny, even as veterans<br />
returned home with hearing loss<br />
and tinnitus (ringing in the ears) at<br />
alarming rates. Eventually, 3M agreed<br />
to a settlement with the U.S. Justice<br />
Department to resolve allegations that<br />
it defrauded the government. And more<br />
than 230,000 veterans filed lawsuits<br />
against 3M, arguing their hearing<br />
damage was caused by the company's<br />
decision to hide the truth.<br />
Which brings us to 3M's latest<br />
transgression: Through a series of legal<br />
tricks, the company tried to eliminate<br />
veterans' right to trial by jury -- a<br />
constitutional right they fought for --<br />
by pushing them into bankruptcy court,<br />
where it could offer them pennies on the<br />
dollar. Thankfully, a federal bankruptcy<br />
judge put a stop to this, ruling that<br />
veterans can continue their cases in<br />
court against 3M.<br />
Over the last 18 months, juries have<br />
awarded millions in damages to<br />
veterans. 3M knows it has no defenses or<br />
excuses left, and that juries understand<br />
the truth. The question now becomes,<br />
what is 3M's next move going to be?<br />
3M once again has the chance to step<br />
up and finally provide justice to the<br />
service members it harmed. In the face<br />
of lifelong hearing injuries, service<br />
members simply want a just solution.<br />
The VFW of Minnesota will be<br />
watching closely to see if 3M finally<br />
decides to do what is right.