Join The Military... Get Larger Breasts!

[SuperGrover]

Report: Bigger breasts offered as perk to soldiers

"Between 2000 and 2003, military doctors performed 496 breast enlargements and 1,361 liposuction surgeries on soldiers and their dependents..."



http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/07/21/military.perks.reut/index.html

 

[bluecat]

I heard that on the radio this morning.

I thought I was hearing things, but apparently not.

 

[HollowSoul]

OMG

 

[huntr1]

Now don't you ex-military type wimens that say you want a boob job regret getting out of the military? You coulda gotten your DDDD boobs already.

 

[HisBoyElroy]

I wonder if females are limited to augmentation. The military often pioneers new medical procedures, especially plastic surgery. I wonder if you could have a boob installed on your back.

You know... for slow-dancing.

Maybe they could put that on their recruiting commercials.

 

[ememdee19]

Will the Air Force give you bigger boobs, too?

 

[ememdee19]

Janis Garcia, a former lieutenant commander and jag attorney in the Navy, who is married to a retired Navy fighter pilot, says she grew up hating the way she looked. “I wouldn’t even smile in my own wedding pictures.” She checked in to the Naval Medical Center in San Diego for a nose job, a chin realignment, and a jaw reconstruction, free of charge. She also had her teeth straightened. “It changed my appearance drastically, and I became a more confident person,” she said. “It literally changed the direction of my life.” The doctors told her the work she had done would have cost her nearly a hundred thousand dollars.

 

[ylexot]

The Army’s rationale is that, as a spokeswoman said, “the surgeons have to have someone to practice on.” “The benefit of offering elective cosmetic surgery to soldiers is more for the surgeon than for the patient,” Lyons said. “If there’s a happy soldier or sailor at the end of that operation, that’s an added benefit, but that’s not the reason we do it. We do it to maintain our skills”—skills that are critical, he added, when it comes to doing reconstructive surgery on soldiers who have been wounded.

Some plastic surgeons question this logic. Dr. Shaun Parson, a prominent cosmetic surgeon in Arizona, says that cosmetic surgery and reconstructive surgery are two separate specialties. “If the Army is doing breast augmentations, it’s doing it to practice breast augmentations, period.”

I understand the logic of doctors need to keep their skills up. However, if that's the only reason, why not do free needed procedures for non-military people instead of elective surgeries for the military? I'm sure there would be no shortage of willing patients. I'm sure there are plenty of people who need reconstructive surgery too.

 

[Steve]

Plastic surgery for military members (and their dependents) has been a part of the medical package for quite some time. It was available as early as 1993 when I first joined, and I am sure even earlier.

The rationale is justified. The military needs to staff competent surgeons, including those specializing in plastic surgery and reconstruction. A surgeon cannot be denied career-enhancing medical skills while serving the minimum 8 years required for an honorable discharge. In addition, these skills are critical to the rehabilitation of soldiers wounded in combat.

I remember at least two Air Force folks that received reconstructive surgery during my enlistment: one received rhinoplasty to restore damage received years earlier from two separate non-combat related mishaps; the second received extensive dental reconstruction following an attack on a downtown street by a brick-weilding sicko who knocked out most of his teeth and broke his jaw.

Anyone that is approved for plastic/reconstructive surgery is screened thoroughly prior to receiving approval. Most are denied. I was denied braces (braces!) because they determined my crooked teeth were not bad enough to pass the cut-off criteria. So don't think that everyone is getting a free ride. And as far as liposuction and boob jobs are concerned, these are rarely approved and are usually approved to correct physical deformations, such as size/shape nonconformities, etc., not because Trixie wants a bigger set!

 

[Steve]

And...

Originally posted by ylexot
...why not do free needed procedures for non-military people instead of elective surgeries for the military?

All military personnel are considered "Property of the U.S. Government" until discharged, and as such, have limited rights to seek damages if procedures do not go as planned. Could you imagine the lawsuits against the Government if civilians were allowed to participate? How would you manage such a program? How would you select which civilians get the free surgery and which don't?

Lastly, military doctors do a great deal of free surgery for civilians under special joint progarms with various national hospitals and universities. Click here for one example. Search for more if you'd like, you'll find plenty. Training for the military doctor at the lowest cost is the primary goal here.

 

[Nickel]

Originally posted by Steve
Plastic surgery for military members (and their dependents) has been a part of the medical package for quite some time. It was available as early as 1993 when I first joined, and I am sure even earlier.

Why was I not notified of this before I turned 21 and lost my dad's military benefits?

 

[ylexot]

Originally posted by Steve
And as far as liposuction and boob jobs are concerned, these are rarely approved and are usually approved to correct physical deformations, such as size/shape nonconformities, etc., not because Trixie wants a bigger set!

Sorry, but I think this quote tells otherwise...

According to the Army, between 2000 and 2003 its doctors performed four hundred and ninety-six breast enlargements and a thousand three hundred and sixty-one liposuction surgeries on soldiers and their dependents. In the first three months of 2004, it performed sixty breast enhancements and two hundred and thirty-one liposuctions.

That's a whole lot of deformed people!

 

[Nickel]

Originally posted by ylexot
Sorry, but I think this quote tells otherwise...
That's a whole lot of deformed people!

Breast enlargements and liposuction can be considered necessary...what about the random women who have one breast at least a cup size smaller than the other? A lot of times their insurance covers either an enlargement or reduction. It's fairly common. 'Tis true, I read it in Cosmo

 

[ylexot]

Re: And...

Originally posted by Steve
All military personnel are considered "Property of the U.S. Government" until discharged, and as such, have limited rights to seek damages if procedures do not go as planned. Could you imagine the lawsuits against the Government if civilians were allowed to participate?

Ever heard of a waiver? I went flying in an F/A-18 as a civilian and if I died it would have been "tough sh@t". Why? Because I signed a waiver.

The problem I have is that there are people who need surgery and can't afford it. The government is battling over national healthcare. And here we have people getting useless (to the patient) surgery. Why not have military surgeons train on people that need it and can't afford it?

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by ylexot
Sorry, but I think this quote tells otherwise...
That's a whole lot of deformed people!

Maybe later I'll research the number of plastic/reconstructive surgeons there are in the Army, but for now we'll take a rough look at the numbers.

496 breast enlargements and 1361 lipos between 2000 and 2003. I'll assume the years are inclusive giving a time period of 1460 days. That yields about 1 boob job every 3 days, and about 1 lipo every day for the time period. Now to me, that seems like hardly any when you average it across the Army's total surgical staff performing these operations. The Army has surgeons around the world, but only one will do a boob job on any given third day. This means that a lucky doctor will get this TRAINING probably about once a year. Hardly enough to keep one's skills sharp. The ratio is higher for 2004, but remember that funds for these procedures are more plentiful at the beginning of the fiscal year than at the end; I would not be surprised to see these procedures decline over the remainder of the year.

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by Nickel
Breast enlargements and liposuction can be considered necessary...what about the random women who have one breast at least a cup size smaller than the other? A lot of times their insurance covers either an enlargement or reduction. It's fairly common. 'Tis true, I read it in Cosmo

This reason is one of the more common ones that get approval for military personnel, from what I've heard. I don't personnally recall knowing anyone who actually had this performed. As the article states, training for the surgeon is paramount, but if a happy soldier is in the outcome, then all the better. The breasts would be screened and have to be very disproportionate to be approved, I would imagine.

 

[Steve]

Re: Re: And...

Originally posted by ylexot
Ever heard of a waiver? I went flying in an F/A-18 as a civilian and if I died it would have been "tough sh@t". Why? Because I signed a waiver.

The problem I have is that there are people who need surgery and can't afford it. The government is battling over national healthcare. And here we have people getting useless (to the patient) surgery. Why not have military surgeons train on people that need it and can't afford it?

Ever heard of sarcasm?

Of course I know about waivers; military folks have to sign them as well. But do you think a civilian lawyer would stop at the waiver when defending his client against the government? Puhlease! That waiver would be contested in a heartbeat if a civilian encountered an adverse outcome from a military procedure. Cha-ching!

How is this surgery 'useless', as you put it?

 

[Nickel]

So basically, the plastic surgery that is being performed is "reconstructive". Private health care covers reconstructive surgery. If you're in the military, you have health insurance through the military. Essentially, your insurance is covering your plastic/reconstructive surgery. And to top it off, it's considered practice. How could anyone have a problem with this?

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by Nickel
So basically, the plastic surgery that is being performed is "reconstructive". Private health care covers reconstructive surgery. If you're in the military, you have health insurance through the military. Essentially, your insurance is covering your plastic/reconstructive surgery. And to top it off, it's considered practice. How could anyone have a problem with this?

I think someone mentioned this before, but plastic (augmentation) surgery is a shade different than reconstructive surgery, but they are basically the same thing. It's just splitting hairs.

In order for a military surgeon to repair a disfigurement from combat induced wounds, the surgeon must be skilled in performing the surgery. How do you get training? Wait for a war? Or perform plastic (augmentation) surgery on the healthy and call it training. The latter is what the military does to prepare for the former.

I think that complaining that the military offers this to it's members under the auspices of training is simply exposed jealousy. Some people are always looking for a handout. You want free surgery! Join the military!

 

[ememdee19]

Originally posted by Steve
You want free surgery! Join the military!

As Steve mentioned earlier, the military is not quick to hand out medical surgeries such as these. There are a battery of tests, exams, etc. before one can be approved.

If it's not a combat related injury (in most cases), the patient has to prove mental distress and anguish before he/she is even considered.