Last week, porn star and former California gubernatorial candidate Mary Carey drew media attention after she spoke at a street protest in Los Angeles against military breast implants. The military offers free cosmetic surgery to any personnel in all three branches of the military, including members of their immediate families. Soldiers and their dependents can receive anything from face-lifts and nose jobs to liposuction – all at the taxpayer’s expense.

The rationale behind these free procedures is that they allow military doctors to practice and maintain their skills in reconstructive surgery. However, we disagree that these procedures help train doctors in any way. Cosmetic surgery is different than reconstructive surgery. Liposuction is not a reconstructive procedure – procedures such as skin grafts are.

Military personnel can have as many of the procedures as they want, and they receive paid medical leave during their recovery. Although these soldiers must get permission from their commanding officer before undergoing a procedure, we doubt many soldiers are turned down.

According to a July article in The New Yorker, Janis Garcia, a former lieutenant commander and Judge Advocate General attorney, received a nose job, chin realignment, jaw reconstruction and straightened her teeth. When asked about her surgery, she said, “I became a more confident person … it literally changed the direction of my life.”

These types of comments concern us, in part because we wonder how many men or women might join the military because of these incentives.

“I would be disappointed with the maturity of young women in this country if they’re joining the service with the thought of getting breast augmentation,” said Dr. Bob Lyons, the chief of plastic surgery at Brooke Army Medical Center. We can’t assume this won’t happen. Cosmetic surgery often costs more than college tuition, and that already is a big incentive for people to join the military.

If the military is serious about training its doctors, it should offer free reconstructive and cosmetic surgery to civilians who truly need it. Burn victims and victims of violence would be better candidates for surgery than a military officer who just wants to improve his or her looks.

Finally, while free cosmetic surgery isn’t listed in any current recruitment literature, we’re still wary of the impact it might have on young, naive individuals. Unless the military puts a stop to these absurd benefits, the connotation of the slogan “be all you can be” could have a completely different meaning.