# Military require circumcision?



## kathy1_10 (Jul 18, 2004)

My friends oldest son will be enlisting in the Army and she is worried that they will have him circumcised once he is enlisted. She thinks that once he has his physical they will realize he is not circumcised and will make him get a circumcised to enlist in the Army. The recruiter had mention to her son that during the physical they check his penis and testicals for any abnormal issues. I didn't think they cared if the person was circumcised or not? But she think the military perfers all guys be circumcised when they enlist.

Does anyone know if they require guys to be circumcised?


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Um, it's against the law for them to require someone to undergo cosmetic surgery.


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## rmzbm (Jul 8, 2005)

I cannot imagine that is a requirement!


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## eightyferrettoes (May 22, 2005)

It does not.







 I used to be a female soldier. I saw some penii back then.









They're absolutely desperate for bodies. Circed or not.

Back in WWII, some people say that circ was pushed, but there is no evidence that it was ever formally required.


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## carolhagan (Oct 21, 2006)

It's not. My ex boyfriend was in the Army and intact.


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## SunnyBabyIn2005 (Nov 14, 2004)

I have 2 uncles in the Air Force and a cousin in the Army, all intact


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## kathy1_10 (Jul 18, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *eightyferrettoes* 
It does not.







I used to be a female soldier. I saw some penii back then.









They're absolutely desperate for bodies. Circed or not.

Back in WWII, some people say that circ was pushed, but there is no evidence that it was ever formally required.


Were you a medic in the army?


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## kathy1_10 (Jul 18, 2004)

Thanks for all your help...I will forward these responses to my friend. Thanks again!


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## eightyferrettoes (May 22, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kathy1_10* 
Were you a medic in the army?

heehee... um, no.







You gotta remember the ratios of men to women on active duty is like 10-to-1. And I was young.


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## kathy1_10 (Jul 18, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *eightyferrettoes* 
heehee... um, no.







You gotta remember the ratios of men to women on active duty is like 10-to-1. And I was young.









Oh I understand.. sorry a little slow. So I guess you would have a good idea of the intact vs. circ status. Thanks again.


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## Nathan1097 (Nov 20, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *eightyferrettoes* 
It does not.







I used to be a female soldier. I saw some penii back then.









They're absolutely desperate for bodies. Circed or not.

Back in WWII, some people say that circ was pushed, but there is no evidence that it was ever formally required.

I don't think it was required, but STDs and cancer were the fears of the day, and men were equated as "traitors" if they got an STD- and circ was said to cure it so.... yes, men were circ'd during WWII.

The Army/Just Like Dad


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## eightyferrettoes (May 22, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Nathan1097* 
I don't think it was required, but STDs and cancer were the fears of the day, and men were equated as "traitors" if they got an STD- and circ was said to cure it so.... yes, men were circ'd during WWII.

The Army/Just Like Dad

I know. My grandfather was circed during WWII. Nobody seems to know why exactly, but it has fueled three generations now of cut boys.







What a legacy, huh?


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## CEG (Apr 28, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *eightyferrettoes* 
heehee... um, no.







You gotta remember the ratios of men to women on active duty is like 10-to-1. And I was young.









Sorry, just lurking over but this is hilarious. I was a "queen for a year" myself so i know what you're saying. even though I was married I never bought a drink all year


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## eightyferrettoes (May 22, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CEG* 
Sorry, just lurking over but this is hilarious. I was a "queen for a year" myself so i know what you're saying. even though I was married I never bought a drink all year

















I wanted to go to Korea soooo bad when I first enlisted. Exotic! Exciting! Far from home!

My dad, who'd been in already, firmly and unequivocally forbade that.


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## artgoddess (Jun 29, 2004)

My FIL was a marine, and they did put pressure on a lot of men who were not circed to get circed. This is why even though my FIL is intact he and MIL had DH circed. He didn't want his son to have to o through that later as an adult.









So maybe it's those type of stories that your friend is hearing. In the 1950's who knows why they pushed some men to circ yet left FIL intact, but they did. Maybe they thought he took better care of his foreskin.


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## jessikate (Jul 19, 2002)

My grandpa was in Korea and managed to survive military service intact.

Sadly, despite my grandpa being intact, my uncle was circumcised and had his two sons circ'd. Meanwhile, my aunts who had sons kept them intact, as I have done with my son. Interesting how it's being carried along by the male line of the family.


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## InDaPhunk (Jun 24, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kathy1_10* 
Does anyone know if they require guys to be circumcised?

My USAF DH says that will not happen. He's also told me that they marked him as "abnormal" for being circumcised.

Remember that many non US citizens join the US military, and many of them are intact.


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## Arduinna (May 30, 2002)

LTR here with an intact ex military guy.


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## gentle_mama04 (Dec 1, 2005)

DH is in the army and is intact.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

BIL is in the national guard and is intact. My sis hasn't mentioned any issues at all, so I doubt there are any. She's very anti-circ, so I know she'd mention if he'd been pressured. Now the vaxes they force them to get, that's a whole other story...


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

BIL is in the national guard and is intact. My sis hasn't mentioned any issues at all, so I doubt there are any. She's very anti-circ, so I know she'd mention if he'd been pressured. Now the vaxes they force them to get, that's a whole other story...


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## ~Jenna~ (Dec 7, 2003)

Like everyone else said, no circ required...I worked at a VA hospital and I had some intact patients.


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## nd_deadhead (Sep 22, 2005)

My FIL was in the Navy during WWII, and came home intact. He was influenced by the horror storiews he heard, however, and had both his sons circumcised.


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## minkajane (Jun 5, 2005)

My grandfather "had" to be circumcised while in the Navy during the Korean War. Because of this, his sons and grandsons were circumcised. His great-grandson (my DS) is NOT. My SIL says she will have her sons circ'd, though she can't say why. I gave her tons of info, and she's not even TTC yet, so I'm hoping that I can knock some sense into her before she has any boys. I really hope we can stop the cycle of violence in our family with this generation!


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

As mentioned, circ at the time of military enlistment did happen in the past.

Not anymore!


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

sorry, for some reason mothering is doing multiple posts for me!


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## Dave2GA (Jul 31, 2005)

I served four years as a Navy officer in the early 70's and remained intact without comment from anyone. Saw intact men from 18 to 75 in the showers. The Navy has never required circ although it has required that "phimosis" be cured one way or the other for one to enlist.


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## muckemom (Jun 26, 2006)

Didn't have time to read the whole thread... but I seriously hope they wouldn't force intact men to get cut...

Of course, the military has been known to do some pretty silly things...







:


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## kathy1_10 (Jul 18, 2004)

Thanks again everyone. I will forward the responses to my friend.


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## Nathan1097 (Nov 20, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *eightyferrettoes* 
I know. My grandfather was circed during WWII. Nobody seems to know why exactly, but it has fueled three generations now of cut boys.







What a legacy, huh?

My (late) grandpa (b. 1921), who served in the Army during the war, was circ'd after WWII but not long after- I don't think. It was right around that time, I believe. He said a doctor told him he wouldn't get penile cancer- so he had it done.







My OWN GRANDFATHER- a very wise, wonderful man whose life-lessons we're STILL passing down and using- got caught by a doctor giving him scare-tactics.







Of course, there was no way of learning of circ's history back then and doctors were rarely argued with- even though I KNOW my grandfather was not one to be jerked around... He had one son, and I assume he is circ'd as he was born in the mid-to-late-'50's and he had his sons cut. (Born in the early 90's.) However, the story goes that they were circ'd because their mother heard from a friend whose ex-husband gave her more yeast infections than her current, circ'd husband. (Not making this up- I asked my aunt in 1998!)


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## njeb (Sep 10, 2002)

My brother was in the Navy during the Vietnam War era (late 60's-early 70's) and emerged intact.








I wonder if different branches of the armed forces have different rules?


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## TigerTail (Dec 22, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Nathan1097* 
their mother heard from a friend whose ex-husband gave her more yeast infections than her current, circ'd husband. (Not making this up- I asked my aunt in 1998!)









It would still be more accurate to say 'passed her own yeast infection back to her because he didn't treat himself'- don't go blaming those pesky foreskins, now!


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## roadfamily6now (Sep 14, 2006)

I doubt it is a requirement.

I know you have the option in the hospital to circ or not, when your baby boy is born. They dont push it on you.
In fact, the last baby I had (surrogacy) the ped said it is purely a cosmectic surgery now days.


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## GoodMomma (Aug 6, 2006)

That is really silly, lol. My DH was in the Army and ran across quite a few guys that were intact. Wait a minute, that didn't sound good, lol.... I just meant, either happened to see a whole penis in the shower or heard a guy talking about it. I swear my DH is straight!


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## MysteryMama (Aug 11, 2006)

i have an intact friend who served in the air force.


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## boingo82 (Feb 19, 2004)

My sister's BF is young (26) and only been out of the Army for a few years. From what I hear he isn't missing any pieces.


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## DocsNemesis (Dec 10, 2005)

Yep, I heard that before, they actually mark the penis as abnormal in cirumcised men and note that they were circ'd.
I too have seen a lot of families with the trend of the men only carrying on the legacy. Its the whole "theres nothing wrong with my penis, so he should have it done too" thing. But then you also get these women who think that intact penises are ugly (who gives a poo what your CHILD's penis looks like?!?), or they are standing by their hubbys and say the same, that their dh's penis is fine, or they just really dont care either way and since dh said he wanted it done....


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## hunnybumm (Nov 1, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *roadfamily6now* 
I doubt it is a requirement.

I know you have the option in the hospital to circ or not, when your baby boy is born. *They dont push it on you.*
In fact, the last baby I had (surrogacy) the ped said it is purely a cosmectic surgery now days.

Sadly, that isn't always true. It depends more on the hospital / peds office you go to. At the hospital I had DS#1 at I didn't even sign the circ consent form until it was time to be discharged and it was in the stack with everything else. Sadly, I had wanted him circ.

Also, my DH is active duty Air Force and circ, but I know there are a lot of intact men who are active duty (no I haven't seen it with my own eyes







).


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## hvl25 (Jan 28, 2003)

well, my ex is Navy and intact and my son was born in a military hospital and is intact.


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## jessjgh1 (Nov 4, 2004)

My parents friend was in the Navy and was strongly encouraged to get circumcised







: . Apparently, he was the only one of his friends that said, no thank you, no way, no sir.

Apparently they were encouraged for hygeine reasons- and the fact that water rationing was quite common on the ships. Even though this is all quite silly and there are many simple solutions to a lack of water problem that the 'rest of the world' uses.

This friend is around 55 years old, has 2 intact sons, and all of them are very happy about that.

Jessica


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## stever_45723 (Feb 21, 2006)

I think the US military today isn't pushing circumcision nearly as hard as it used to. THe stories of enforced circumcision in the military are legion, and there is a good deal of strongly encouraged circumcison as well. Until the late 1970's-early 1980's there are only two times in US hsitory when there was anything but a slow but steady growth int he neonatal circ rate: the five-year period after WOrld War 1 and WOrld War 2. In both of those cases there was a clear jump in the RIC rate. Personally, I know of a significant number of military circs in my own family. MY stepgrandfather got circed in France during WW1; I have two uncles who got circed in the US Navy during WW2; my father has always worn his foreskin retracted. I have a cousin who was forced into a circumcison in the US Navy during Vietnam. He is still angry about it. I don't know anything about the circumstances of the other circumcisions. I have always assumed they were strongly encouraged if not required.


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## jenn5388 (Nov 6, 2005)

My husband is intact.. he was in the army up until last year. I can't understand why anyone would think the army would care either way. lol


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## treemom2 (Oct 1, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *stever_45723* 
I think the US military today isn't pushing circumcision nearly as hard as it used to. .

Maybe not for the adults, but for the babies it is pretty bad. I haven't met a parent yet who has left their child intact. I had one friend in fact whose child was having kidney reflux and was told it was because her adopted son (4 years old) was not circed. They finally put so much pressure on her and her DH that she went ahead and had him circed when they did the surgery for the reflux









About adult males having to be circed, I have a couple friends whose DH's aren't circed. So it must not be required or knowing these friends they would have had it done.

Funny about the WWII soldiers. My grandpa came home from WWI and was convinced he would become a "dirty old man" if he remained intact so he went and got circed. Really influenced my mom's views on circ. She is very pro-circ and makes comments about my DS becoming a "dirty old man"







:


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## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

My grandpa was a Colonel in the Marines, served in WWII and Korea and Vietnam. He was not circed himself as a child, and his two sons remained intact even though they were born in military hospitals.


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## eepster (Sep 20, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *treemom2* 
Maybe not for the adults, but for the babies it is pretty bad. I haven't met a parent yet who has left their child intact.

The studies that sudjest an increased risk of UTIs in intact male infants were done comparing children born in american military hospitals. So they must leave some intact.

BTW Dad went in intact and came out intact, but one of the guys in his unit decided to get circ'd since they were offering it for free.


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## minkajane (Jun 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *treemom2* 
Maybe not for the adults, but for the babies it is pretty bad. I haven't met a parent yet who has left their child intact.

If it makes you feel any better...

I'm active duty Air Force. My son was born, not in a military hospital (Sheppard doesn't do births), but with a military doctor. I was asked twice if I wanted him circ'd, but never given the paper or pressured. He is 100% intact.


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## katie9143 (Oct 3, 2006)

I am so surprised with this craziness?!? I would never have even thought that anyone would care so much about it.....especially the military!

I can tell you that it can't be a military requirement, cuz my fiance is not circ - and neither are several of the other aviators that he works with in the af res. that is crazy!

I am laughing thinking about it being a multiple choice question on the azfab (or however its spelled)...haha


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## 4chunut1 (Apr 7, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *minkajane* 
If it makes you feel any better...

I'm active duty Air Force. My son was born, not in a military hospital (Sheppard doesn't do births), but with a military doctor. I was asked twice if I wanted him circ'd, but never given the paper or pressured. He is 100% intact.

Thank goodness times have changed. Our son was born at the Barksdale AFB, Louisiana military hospital in 1969, and was circumcised without our permission. We were never even asked whether we wanted it done. I am an intact retired Air Force officer and was never pressured to have it done. It was offered, if you wanted it, but no pressure. Early in my career I briefly considered it (long story...for another thread...) but decided against it, and am totally happy with that decision.

An interesting historical note...While stationed at Wurtsmith AFB Michigan in the late '70s and early '80s, the Hospital Commander there issued an order prohibiting RIC. I don't know the exact reason, whether it was a result of medical studies showing it not to be necessary, or was a "cost-cutting" measure for his budget. Well, several parents were outraged that they had to take their son born on base, to a civilian doctor off base to get him circumcised, and had to PAY for it...! Some wrote their congressmen with their complaints. I don't know if there was an official investigation or not, but the Base Commander (Hospital Commander's commanding officer) felt enough pressure to order the prohibition lifted, and circumcisions were again available to those who wanted them.


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## eepster (Sep 20, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *4chunut1* 
Thank goodness times have changed. Our son was born at the Barksdale AFB, Louisiana military hospital in 1969, and was circumcised without our permission. We were never even asked whether we wanted it done.

This happened in civilian hospitals as well throughout the '50s, '60s and into the '70s.


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## Ravin (Mar 19, 2002)

What Eighttyferrettoes said.









Also, my father managed to get through Vietnam-era AF service intact. Joining up now, I really doubt it would even come up. (Not that I was their for any guys' entrance med exams).


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## treemom2 (Oct 1, 2003)

Military moms posting here, have you been pressured to have it done when the base doc found out your child wasn't circ'd? On our base it is really high pressure to have it done, in fact, one doc has a whole day just for circing babies and performing vasectomies--it's really sad here. Funny thing is, no babies are born on base here they all are either sent to another city pretty far away (7 hours) or you have to go with a Japanese doc. The Japanese docs won't circ unless it is absolutely necessary for medical reasons, so all the boy babies here have an automatic appt with the circing doc on base one week after birth. Spoke with a mom yesterday who was happy she had to be transported to the military hospital for her c-sec, that way her son could be circ'd right after his birth at the hospital and she didn't have to wait for it to be done







:


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## smurphygt (Jan 20, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *treemom2* 
Military moms posting here, have you been pressured to have it done when the base doc found out your child wasn't circ'd?


I really think it depends on the base and the doctor. My first son was born in '97 at the hospital on Fort Lewis. The dr told me that 99% of boys were circumcised, it's healthier, he'll never feel it, etc. Unfortunately, I trusted that doctor to be educated and we followed his advice to have our son circumcised.









My second son was born in '05 at Langely AFB and the atmosphere there was much different, but in a good way. Lots of midwives and they even had an intactivist doctor! (I never spoke with him but was told he was very passionate and outspoken about circumcision.) Although circ wasn't pushed there, it was still an option and treated nonchalantly by other docs. The peds on Fort Eustis were divided as well. One told me there aren't medical reasons for circumcision, while another lady told me it was much healthier and better for the child.

My FIL just told me the other day that when he was in the Air Force (during the 60's) circumcision was offered at enlistment. I think it was pushed because it was common for the men to be out in the field for weeks at a time and hygiene was a concern.


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## Emmeline II (Feb 16, 2006)

My son was born on Elmendorf AFB in the early 2000s and there was no pressure to circ.

I was pressured to get the Rhogam shot; I didn't consent though I was shaking a bit afterwards as an airman having a showdown with a Colonel. Even though my husband is Rh-, it was implied that I could be lying about his parentage







.


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## hakunangovi (Feb 15, 2002)

This is an interesting thread. I have always wondered how the custom to circumcise started in my family. My maternal grandfather was circumcised at age 12 for supposed medical reasons. I think he may have suffered a paraphimosis, for which they did circumcise back then. That is the reason I and my brothers lost our foreskins. However, my Dad and uncle were also circumcised. Some years after my Dad had passed away I asked my uncle if if my grandfather (paternal) had been cut. His answer was "Well, he was in the military". I should have questioned him further, but felt too embarrassed. So I still don't know if he was or not, but I assume that maybe he was and that it had something to do with his being in the army . He was Canadian, but of course that was part of the British Army, and fought in the Boer War and WW1.


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## ericah971 (Mar 28, 2014)

My husband is in the Navy, he is intact. So I can tell you that they definitely do not circumcise men enlisting..


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## Dave RW (Jun 26, 2014)

*My experience*

Intact military officer here. It was barely mentioned when I was enlisting, but when I had my commissioning physical, the doctor took it upon himself to tell me that "nearly all officers" are circumcised and that I'd be setting myself apart if I didn't get cut. Didn't seem to be true when I got out into the military. Circumcision's been offered to me a few times rather nonchalantly but I just nonchalantly turned them down.


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

If I am thinking right in WWI or WWII they started doing a lot of circ due to STD's thinking it would help stop the spread. It of course didnt just made the ones who where cut think they could be even more promiscuous.


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## applejuice (Oct 8, 2002)

I think the military circumcised the recruits in WW2 as an exercise in intimidation, don't you?

My circumcised husband told me that the men who were sent to Vietnam who were not circumcised had more health problems with their intact penis in the jungle conditions than others.

Oddly, I also heard that the non-circumcised men who went to the Sahara in WW2 had problems with their penis because of the arid conditions. (sand gets in everywhere)

Furthermore, my non-circumcised Father told me that men who were not circumcised had problems with their foreskins in very cold climates. 

Seems there is always a reason to circumcise and never a reason not to.


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## hakunangovi (Feb 15, 2002)

So many conflicting theories!!

I would definitely argue the cold climate scenario - It seems to me that there is documentation that when Sir Ranulph Fines trekked to the North Pole the intact men were much better off since their foreskins (which are highly vascular - good blood flow) protected their glans. Certainly the Scandinavians have no issues! I have seen a statistic that only one in over 16000 Fins will die without their foreskin. And the Eskimos do not circumcise.

Considering that 85% of the world's males are intact, it seems strange that the only ones with a myriad of foreskin problems are the English speakers?


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## Dave RW (Jun 26, 2014)

'"Seems there is always a reason to circumcise and never a reason not to."

I may be inclined to believe you. As I mentioned above, I've been *generously* offered to be circumcised by the military. Once was when I was stationed on the Gulf Coast, which has incredibly fine sand. I reported to sick call with irritation of the foreskin and was told that I was getting sand under my foreskin since I didn't have "sufficient coverage" of my glans, and that I'd be a perfect candidate for circumcision. I suggested that I just needed to do a better job of skinning myself back and rinsing off my glans and politely declined the surgical intervention to the apparent chagrin of the doctor. That weekend I went to the base beach with my coworker and his son and at the end of the day as we entered the showerhouse my coworker apologized saying that he and his son would have to get naked in the gang shower since both he and his son had been told that they needed to do a better job of cleaning their foreskins after being at the beach lest they have to get circumcised. I laughed and discovered we had the same primary care manager.

Later at a different base when I taking a course of antibiotics, I developed an opportunistic yeast infection and was told that I got the infection since I had too much foreskin, and would be a perfect candidate for circumcision. By then, I had done my homework and said that if it was a yeast infection, there were a number of nonsurgical options to try before circumcision. My doctor grudgingly agreed; the infection resolved itself when my body reestablished its natural flora, possibly assisted by twice a day apple cider douches.


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## hakunangovi (Feb 15, 2002)

Interesting story, Dave! Makes one think that maybe some doctors collect foreskins in a similar manner to some tribes who (historically) collected scalps!

There is no doubt that many have an obsession about cutting foreskins off, and in cases where there is an issue (no matter how minor), they rarely offer the more benign, alternative solution that preserves the foreskin. Obviously, intact guys need to be well educated, as you proved, in order to keep that valuable organ. Bizarre !!


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## Dave RW (Jun 26, 2014)

There do seem to be stories out there (or maybe one story posted multiple times) about military doctors having a jar of foreskins in formaldehyde sitting on their desks. (Never been my experience, thankfully!:grin

In my own experiences, I'm not sure if my doctors had "an obsession about cutting foreskin off" as it was a combination of two strands of non-critical, non-skeptical thinking: 1) if there's a problem with "A", it goes away if "A" goes away and 2) there's no reason to think ahead to the step after next.

"Doc, it hurts when I move my arm like this!" "Well, then don't move your arm like this!" There is a sort of brutal simplicity to answering a complaint about the foreskin with the recommendation to remove the foreskin - after all, if your foreskin is irritated, you wouldn't have the irritation without the foreskin. You don't even need to have a particularly dim view of the foreskin to see this view as internally consistent.

Looking back at my previous comment, I think I might have oversold my story. The doctors didn't look at me and immediately demand that I let them circumcise me; circumcision was offered up an elegant solution which would obviate the need for me to even worry about my foreskin again. I think the docs got snippy (ha!) when I didn't immediately acknowledge the superior logic of their comments, regardless of whether I was up for considering circumcision. And in the second case, I think some of the doc's annoyance might have been due to a complete lack of bedside manner. I was still recovering from an infection and the side effects of the antibiotics which killed off the infection, so I wasn't exactly firing on all cylinders. I've been told I can present as a bit of a "dumb jock" in those sorts of situations, and I probably lived up to that, since most of the small talk we made was sparked by us recognizing each other from the gym and how I found lifting to be a great stress reliever. I don't think he appreciated how a quiet, amiable, not-quite-all-there guy suddenly got real focused when he started talking about circumcision.


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## redhotmama (Nov 7, 2005)

Dave RW said:


> There do seem to be stories out there (or maybe one story posted multiple times) about military doctors having a jar of foreskins in formaldehyde sitting on their desks. (Never been my experience, thankfully!:grin
> 
> In my own experiences, I'm not sure if my doctors had "an obsession about cutting foreskin off" as it was a combination of two strands of non-critical, non-skeptical thinking: 1) if there's a problem with "A", it goes away if "A" goes away and 2) there's no reason to think ahead to the step after next.
> 
> ...


I'm wondering if mass circumcision during WWII was a way to bring penis uniformity to the world in support of Jewish men?
I was also a medic in the USAF back in day and assisted with vasectomies. I saw a mix of circled and intact men. Unfortunately I was also the one to strap the wee baby boys to the restraint and assist with circs. No boy of mine will ever be subjected to this horror.:crying:


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## hakunangovi (Feb 15, 2002)

redhotmama said:


> I'm wondering if mass circumcision during WWII was a way to bring penis uniformity to the world in support of Jewish men?
> I was also a medic in the USAF back in day and assisted with vasectomies. I saw a mix of circled and intact men. Unfortunately I was also the one to strap the wee baby boys to the restraint and assist with circs. No boy of mine will ever be subjected to this horror.:crying:


I'm not sure about circumcising in support of the Jews - from what I understand, the U.S. was quite guarded and had quotas on how many jewish "refugees" they would allow in. I think it had more to do with ignorance of normal male anatomy and a carry over of the medical profession's historic insistence that foreskins put a man at risk for all kinds of issues (cancer of the penis was a big one then), so that if you rid the soldier of his foreskin you obviated one health risk that could put him out of action.

That must have been very difficult for you to have to assist with circumcising the babies. Kudos to you for never doing it to your own - I wish more people had that level of compassion and common sense.


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## applejuice (Oct 8, 2002)

I think circumcision is a way for surgeon trainees to get some practice, pure and simple.


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## Dave RW (Jun 26, 2014)

applejuice said:


> I think circumcision is a way for surgeon trainees to get some practice, pure and simple.


I'm not sure if it's really applicable to circumcision, but this lines up with what I've been told by some special operations guys about vasectomies: they were encouraged to have it done "in the field" by their medical support staff instead of at their home post so that the medical support staff could have the experience of performing the surgery. (Of course, vasectomies were only pitched to those who already had kids were in a stable marriage, etc.)


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## applejuice (Oct 8, 2002)

In the book from 1977, Labor and Delivery by Constance Bean, the author matter of factly recounts seeing all the little boys lined up on those boards that hold them down; the trainees would go in and circumcise all the little boys - most who were not even a day old. That is what the vitamin K shot is for. The mothers just hoped that they would not hear the baby scream.

Those little boys are now in their late 30s, and probably decided to circumcise their own sons.

http://www.amazon.com/Labor-Delivery-Observers-Diary-Childbirth/dp/0385112491/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409198601&sr=1-1&keywords=labor+and+delivery+constance+bean


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