Question:
When considering deaf people for the military, are we talking about all deaf people? That is, we're not restricting it to oral deaf, or deaf with CI's only?
I'll play Devil's advocate here (not that the Devil needs anyone's help).
Some points to think about:
1. Many orders during training and active duty are yelled from behind, from marching commands in boot camp, to "Duck!" in combat.
2. Many orders are taken and given by radio only. That includes helmet radios that are used during combat missions.
3. On ships, orders and emergency announcements are given over the ship's intercom system.
4. Even if terps were available during training and Stateside, they wouldn't be available overseas in combat.
5. When deployed in combat zones, batteries for CI's and HA's might not be available. Same goes for replacements and repairs.
6. No VRS available overseas.
7. These days, no one in the military can expect to do an entire tour without going overseas or avoiding combat. It's not fair or feasible for rotation reasons.
I'm not saying these are disqualifiers. Only that each circumstance needs to be thought through completely.
