TheOriginalSin

i totally agree with you! i think that people sometimes let the title of "cosmetic" get in the way. it's occasionally necessary for the betterment of someone's well-being, and that includes the morale of our troops. if you have someone who is disgruntled, say because of a natural birth defect (i.e. a cleft lip, horribly derranged dental, etc.), then they tend to become slightly sidetracked of their mission by way of others taunting their physical appearance with no regard to their capabilities. true, some folks have come to be comfortable with their hand in life & may have overcome the odds with an astounding amount of courage in the face of adversity. however, some don't feel quite the same & can therefore require professional help on whatever platform. i've seen it happen. a young man once had an awful cleft lip in my highschool. his parents tried to send him to a shrink to feel better about himself. 16 years of therapy couldn't replace the way he felt when he went to the cosmetologist & had his lip fixed. he was one of the most happy people of all.
i believe thatn nearly any military personnel would agree that there are many expenditures that are taken that could be used in a more positive manner. take our navy lodge for example. right now on base they are developing a brand new navy lodge for our reservists, officers and likewise, to use while drilling. however, the barracks, in which i have resided over 18 months, are in dire need of repair & upgrade. so, active duty are having to live in what we call the ghetto, while part time reservists (who drill for 2 days a month) will receive a hilton-like lodging for their weekend convenience. >>our NEX is in fact half liquor store, half uniform detail, with a few necessities thrown in. folks from our base have to drive 2 hours to fort dix to go to a comessary, otherwise we must shop locally at more expensive grocery stores. needless to say, many of us have become good patrons of sam's club >>every one of our squadron functions is stocked with kegs & open bars, promoting alcoholism. however, in lieu of medical rehabilitation, alcoholics are tossed out of the military with dishonorable discharges. traditionally, us sailors have a reputation for being drunk anyway.
that is an example of just our recreational activities....

phantasmagoria

I don't know if it'll be a huge dent in taxpayer's expense. Military surgeons will be getting paid a steady salary anyway, and all surgical training will be conducted anyway--using live or dead bodies. The actual costs per operation are relatively low and will be covered by the premium, and they'll be training constantly for when they'll need to do future reconstructive surgery. Not a huge problem, I think. I'm going into med, so naturally I'm interested.