# Has the US military ever mandated circumcision? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 15, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-us-military-ever-mandated-circumcision/396067 "2007-03-15T18:44:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-us-military-ever-mandated-circumcision/396067/1 "2007-03-15T18:44:39Z")
Did the US military, at any time in history, ever force male service memvers to get circumcised? If so why? What was the penalty for refusing? I’ve read accounts that from as recently as Vietnam that soldiers could get a free circumcision _if they requested one_, is that still policy? Do any current militaries require circumcision? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-us-military-ever-mandated-circumcision/396067/2 "2007-03-15T19:15:15Z")
The US Military gives out free boob jobs. I’m sure free circumcisions are on the list. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-us-military-ever-mandated-circumcision/396067/3 "2007-03-15T19:42:39Z")
[QUOTE=alphaboi867] Did the US military, at any time in history, ever force male service memvers to get circumcised? If so why? What was the penalty for refusing? I’ve read accounts that from as recently as Vietnam that soldiers could get a free circumcision _if they requested one_, is that still policy? Do any current militaries require circumcision? [/QUOTE] The Israeli Army requires male soldiers to be circumcised as a practical matter. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-us-military-ever-mandated-circumcision/396067/4 "2007-03-15T19:51:22Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] The Israeli Army requires male soldiers to be circumcised as a practical matter. [/QUOTE] What’s a “practical matter”? AFAIK the only groups that are drafted (Jews & Druze) practice circumcision. So what happens to a non-practicing Jewish male who’s parents never had him circumcised? Is he declared medically unfit for service or does the Army forcibally circumcise him? ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-us-military-ever-mandated-circumcision/396067/5 "2007-03-15T21:01:53Z")
[QUOTE=alphaboi867] What’s a “practical matter”? AFAIK the only groups that are drafted (Jews & Druze) practice circumcision. So what happens to a non-practicing Jewish male who’s parents never had him circumcised? Is he declared medically unfit for service or does the Army forcibally circumcise him? [/QUOTE] I don’t really care. It’s no skin off _my_… ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2007, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-us-military-ever-mandated-circumcision/396067/6 "2007-03-15T21:39:56Z")
Robert Leckie’s Book, _Challenge For The Pacific_ asserts that the author was required to get this done in order to join the Marine Corps ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-us-military-ever-mandated-circumcision/396067/7 "2007-03-16T00:55:26Z")
When I was aboard a US Navy ship one of the Marines I knew was ordered by the ship’s doctor to have one after reporting to sick bay, I know not for what I suspect it was a problem related to his prepuce. I heard that the doc uses or gives such a patient an ampule of a chemical (anyone?) to break near his boner if he got one while healing. The chemical would wilt it so as not to break the stiches (?). This was many years ago on a fleet flagship light cruiser. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2007, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-us-military-ever-mandated-circumcision/396067/8 "2007-03-16T01:09:07Z")
[QUOTE=Mk VII] Robert Leckie’s Book, _Challenge For The Pacific_ asserts that the author was required to get this done in order to join the Marine Corps [/QUOTE] It’s a bit hard to picture the USMC requiring an action that a lot of guys at the time (prior to it becoming routine practice in hospitals) would have considered “Jewish.” My dad was drafted into the Army just before WWII, later went through OCS and was commissioned and was not required to undergo circumcision either to enter the Army or to be commissioned. Given that I have never heard anything resembling a circumcision mandate in any history I have read of WWII, I have a hard time believing it was a general practice in any branch of the military. There were various issues with the prepuce that were routinely treeated with surgery in those days, but it seems difficult to believe that there was a general order (even for just one branch of the service) for that particular surgery. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2007, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-us-military-ever-mandated-circumcision/396067/9 "2007-03-16T01:16:56Z")
No, they don’t require us to have circumcisions. They save money on the whole thing and just kick us in the balls occasionally. Tripler Sometimes, for a special treat, they use a paddle.