South Korean Pilot Discharged After Mastecomy

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 10:37 pm

Mastectomy pilot must be reinstated

SEOUL The Seoul Administrative Court ordered the Defence Ministry to reinstate one of its first women helicopter pilots, who was discharged after she had a double mastectomy to treat breast cancer.

Pi Woo Jin, who is now retired, had been told that she could no longer serve because rules require soldiers who are missing body parts to be discharged. Colonel Pi, now 51, had cancer diagnosed in one breast in 2002 but had both removed, believing that it would be more convenient for her when flying. She went on to serve three more years until she said she was told to go for a physical examination, after which officials eventually decided that she was disabled. The Defence Ministry said that it planned to appeal.

Colonel Pi trekked 400km (250 miles) across the country last year to show that she was healthy. She also published a book criticising male-dominated army culture, where male officers often order female soldiers to wear make-up on duty. There are 3,000 women in the 600,000-strong South Korean Army. (Reuters)

The good news is that she has to be reinstated (though the military is fighting it) but the bad news is that the Korean Army is so ass backwards that they discharged her in the first place.

Post by **Mikey** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 4:33 am

For far too long (and in much more dire circumstances) people have used the letter of the law - or regulation - to cover their own lack of testicular fortitude in applying morailty to a situation.

In other words, it was easier for the desk jockey who canned this poor woman to say, "I was only following the rules," than it would have been for him to say, "The rules SHOULD NOT apply in this case, and I will make a stand and a comment."

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 5:11 pm

What? How the hell does missing your breasts count as 'disabled'?

Post by **Mikey** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 5:23 pm

It does technically count as "missing body parts" but htat is merely the letter of the law, as it were... c.f. last post.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:08 pm

True, but it does not impeed her work.

Granitehewer · Post by **Granitehewer** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:19 pm

some scythian women were reputed to have undergone a masectomy to make it easier to draw the bow whilst mid-charge, if an authority claims that her lack of mammaries is an impediment,it might be asked,what they expect her to do