Marines Ban Sleeve Tatoos

Tony

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Tony
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070328/ap_on_re_us/marines_tattoo_ban_5

OCEANSIDE, Calif. - Five tattooed skulls stretch from Marine Cpl. Jeremy Slaton's right elbow to his wrist, spelling out the word "Death." He planned to add a tattoo spelling "Life" on his left arm, but that's on hold because of a Marine policy taking effect Sunday.

The Marines are banning any new, extra-large tattoos below the elbow or the knee, saying such body art is harmful to the Corps' spit-and-polish image.

Slaton and other grunts are not pleased.

"I guess I'll get the other half later," grumbled the 24-year-old leatherneck from Eden Prairie, Minn. "It's kind of messed up."

For many Marines, getting a tattoo is a rite of passage. They commonly get their forearms inscribed to remember fallen comrades, combat tours or loved ones, and often ask for exotic designs that incorporate the Marine motto, Semper Fi, or "Always faithful."

Dozens of Marines from Camp Pendleton, the West Coast's biggest Marine base, made last-minute trips to tattoo parlors in nearby Oceanside before the ban kicked in.

"This is something I love to do," said Cpl. David Nadrchal, 20, of Pomona, who made an appointment to get an Iraqi flag and his deployment dates etched onto his lower leg. "The fact I can't put something on my body that I want — it's a big thing to tell me I can't do that."
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The corps has a spit and polish image? Maybe it's because I've known a lot of people who've become Marines, but they've always seemed like the tough, macho, rough around the edges, borderline crazy, no BS kind of guys. Spit and polish, to me atleast, connotes a goody-goody church going pansy ( those guys joined the NAVY ;) ).

Tattoo artist Jerry Layton at the Body Temple Tattoo Studio in Oceanside said he was booked up with Marines rushing to beat the deadline.

"These are guys that are dying in the war," Layton said. "They can fight, but they can't get a tattoo? It's ridiculous."
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I'm inclined to agree with the tatoo artist. Opinions? Should marines be allow to have sleeve tats?
 
"The fact I can't put something on my body that I want — it's a big thing to tell me I can't do that."

Where's the surprise? They already tell the marine what he can put in his body, and what he can't... what he can put in his mind and what he can't... What he can wear and what he can't... why not what he can put ON his body and what he can't??

If it was Canada, some special interest lawyer would take it to the supreme court and if you could claim it was part of your religion, you'd get away with it.

If yer gonna join a group and that group has a uniform and a set of rules, you follow those rules. If the rules change and you don't like it, (Or can't get over it) you leave.
 
ClintonHammond said:
If yer gonna join a group and that group has a uniform and a set of rules, you follow those rules. If the rules change and you don't like it, (Or can't get over it) you leave.
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'course, that's kind of difficult to say to a Marine. "I"m sorry, but this new rule about tattoos bothers me. May I please get out of my enlistment?"
 
When I was in the Army back in the mid-90s they discouraged any tattoo at all.

Said it was destruction of government property. Doubt that was true but it kept many people from getting them.
 
"When the sun goes up in the West and lays its head down in the East
When they ordain that Madame OHair and she becomes a priest
When a San Diego sailor comes home with no tatoo
When the lights go on at Wrigley Field I'll be coming home to you"

Tatoos and Navy go together like the Statler Brothers and cheesy lyrics.
 
"The fact I can't put something on my body that I want — it's a big thing to tell me I can't do that."
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Are the marines allowed to show up for work in red T-shirts? Or pink dresses?

Or is there some sort of dress code for the marines and similar military organizations?
 
Madalch said:
Are the marines allowed to show up for work in red T-shirts? Or pink dresses?

Or is there some sort of dress code for the marines and similar military organizations?
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Is this a serious question?

DR
 
There doing the kids a favor. Visable tats repel employers. Their young and full of piss n vinegar and dont realize they might regret that tat..
 
Tmy said:
There doing the kids a favor. Visable tats repel employers. Their young and full of piss n vinegar and dont realize they might regret that tat..
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That's a choice no one should make on their behalf.

Besides, last time I checked Marine dress uniforms had sleeves that extended to the wrist, so the Marine "spirt and polish" image is unsullied by any arm tattoos.
 
ImaginalDisc said:
That's a choice no one should make on their behalf.

Besides, last time I checked Marine dress uniforms had sleeves that extended to the wrist, so the Marine "spirt and polish" image is unsullied by any arm tattoos.
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Much of the time, while wearing day to day uniforms, the sleeves are rolled up exposing the arm from the bicep down.

I was stationed in Texas and unless we had full dress uniforms on our arms were exposed.
 
As a ex-sailor that has full respect for Marines, I think this is a sensible rule.

They are not being told they can't have tattoos, just where they can't have them. My guess is that some 70% or so of the body is left to "decorate" as they please. While not infinitely familiar with all the uniforms worn by Marines, I'm sure they have short sleeve "Summer" uniforms. I know we did in the Navy.

I think it would be unsightly and distracting to have any member of the military be in a formal parade or Honor Guard, and him/her have tattoos displayed on their arms while, say carrying a coffin, or lowering a flag to half mast.

As for the "destruction of Government Property" in regards to tattoos, I never heard that. I did hear that in reference to sun burns, but I think the actual charge in the case of sun burns is "Malingering" and only applied when the sun burn caused an inability to perform your duties, and was caused by off duty actions, or failure to take proper precautions while in a duty status. It's use here is more like "self injury for the purpose of getting out of work". Not exactly the same as the medical usage of the word. But that's based on my feeble memory, so take with a grain of salt :)
 
Yea, the Destruction of Government Property bit is an old wives' tale. The USAF banned visible tats around 15 years ago.
 
Hammer_of_Thor said:
Much of the time, while wearing day to day uniforms, the sleeves are rolled up exposing the arm from the bicep down.

I was stationed in Texas and unless we had full dress uniforms on our arms were exposed.
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While wearing BDU's Marines are frequently thigh-deep in mud and leeches, neck deep in gore, eyebrow deep in bureaucratic BS and generally kicking ass. Tattoo regulations seem trite when a man is wearing his own blood, his buddy's, or his enemy's.

I've criticized the Marines a lot over the years, but I've never accused them of being obsessed over trivialities, which this tattoo regulation obviously is.
 
This is just a non-story.

As soon as the recruitment levels drop or casualties rise they'll toss this rule aside as expediently as other more important rules.

February 14, 2007
Army Giving More Waivers in Recruiting

By LIZETTE ALVAREZ

The number of waivers granted to Army recruits with criminal backgrounds has grown about 65 percent in the last three years, increasing to 8,129 in 2006 from 4,918 in 2003, Department of Defense records show.

During that time, the Army has employed a variety of tactics to expand its diminishing pool of recruits. It has offered larger enlistment cash bonuses, allowed more high school dropouts and applicants with low scores on its aptitude test to join, and loosened weight and age restrictions.

It has also increased the number of so-called “moral waivers” to recruits with criminal pasts, even as the total number of recruits dropped slightly. The sharpest increase was in waivers for serious misdemeanors, which make up the bulk of all the Army’s moral waivers. These include aggravated assault, burglary, robbery and vehicular homicide.

The number of waivers for felony convictions also increased, to 11 percent of the 8,129 moral waivers granted in 2006, from 8 percent.

Waivers for less serious crimes like traffic offenses and drug use have dropped or remained stable.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/14/u...09200&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print
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Yes, I realize this article pertains to Army recruitment, but I think it applies equally for the Marines whose recruitment motto will inevitably be changed to, The Marines - We're Looking For A Few Warm Bodies"
 
Space Marines -- Explore new worlds, blow them up, meet new people, kill them.

Seriously, it's a frikkin' tattoo. If they'll find jobs hard to come by because of tattoos, then I think that we should try to strike down that stereotype of, "He has a tattoo, therefore I won't hire him!", instead of forcing all the marines from being able to put get tattoos.

Seriously.

And trying to "clean up their image"? WTH?

Should the Navy stop putting men together in case it tarnishes the image of "navy men aren't homosexuals"? 'Cause I don't think they can avoid that stereotype.
 
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