` It won't cover sex reassignment surgery. - The Department of Veterans Affairs is calling off plans to allow sex reassignment surgeries for transgender veterans, citing budget concerns. - Source` [HR][/HR] ` I don't see this as affecting too many people and while I may be pro-LGBT, I'm not at all convinced this is necessary.
Does not suprised me at all, I am suprised they are even letting transgender people serve. How are you going to keep someone deployable with them going through transition.
It boils down to cosmetic surgery and I don't think the VA has an obligation here unless it is to correct an injury acquired during active, military service. As they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
It's fairly easy to jam amalgam into soldiers' teeth to keep them combat ready for the next hour, not so easy to surgically remove healthy appendages and send soldiers into combat. Every soldier must be the claw and fang of the tiger and ready to fight, and on a moment's notice to march up the cargo aircraft ramp. There's always going to be a few casualties and soldiers with disease who can't fight immediately, however.
Don't forget that Uncle Sam spent a lot of money issuing uniforms and DX'ing them when needed. And when you think of the paper-work and added cost of re-inducting them into the WAC and replacing the smaller-format insignia ..... it gets expensive.
I never gave it any thought. I was in the Army 1965-1968. I DX'd everything in Vietnam, piece by piece, and I don't remember if I was given a new issue after that or not. I might have paid for everything (like you say) but I never realized it if I did.
I don't think I was charged for two sets of jungle fatigues or the jungle boots. If you can find a pair of government issue jungle boots now they are waaaaaay up in price, hard to find.
Are they not made any more? In addition to my issue jungle boots, I also bought a pair in Tuy Hoa from a Vietnamese store. They resembled our jungle boots except they didn't have that supportive diagonal webbing across the ankle ... but they had "jump boot" capped toes. So they were sort of a cross between jungle boots and jump boots. I never found out if they were military issue for Vietnamese paratroopers or if they were just made for anyone who wanted them but mine were the only ones I ever saw. I wore them until my ETS.
It's desert boots these days. You can get a pair of "jungle boots" from Walmart for just under $40. But a good pair that is claimed to be manufactured to the mid 1960's spec will run $100 on top of that, but it's not government issue.
Here is something interesting: https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryPorn/comments/44dyps/combat_boots_litter_the_road_outside_saigon/