Not tongue, and not cheek. It was the "digital exam" to verify the diagnosis.
And yes, it was removed by a Navy surgeon. He did a great job, one of the first surgeons to do keyhole surgery. (I had a subsequent Dr. miss the scar while doing an abdominal exam after I fell off my bike and got a handlebar to the gut.)
This was a dozen years before I'd ever even heard of scientology...
Aren't you glad you were not into Scientology then?