I do have that itch

A great article today in the USA Today about Troops Getting Different Tattoos once they come home from Afghanistan and Iraq.

In the beginning they wanted tattoos that identified them by name, religion or simply as soldiers, as Freeman did, says tattoo artist Scott LaGrange, 26, of Forever Tattoos in Evans Mills.

"That's when their religion comes out," LaGrange says. "Crosses, bottles of booze, hearts with 'Mom' and 'Dad.' "

A former Marine and veteran of Afghanistan, LaGrange says those who return are requesting skulls, patriotic phrases or memorials to fallen comrades.

"It's more what had happened to them," he says.

Returning troops often want tattoos to express their intense feelings, or even to blot them out — if only for a short time.

"A little bit of pain makes you forget about a whole load of it," says Joe Robbins, 37, owner Empyre Tattoo.

As a tattoo person, it's always nice to see an article that puts tattoos in a positive light as it still has that stigma of bikers and ruffians to most people, even though my generation is probably more tattooed then any American generation prior. This article just reminds me that I need to go see my guy next month, it's been far too long.

A Reason I Got Out Of The Military

The Marine Corps has decided to limit tattoos more then they already do. They are not going to allow tattoos that are past the elbow and knee...wow. These men can go into combat, but can't do what they like with their bodies. Half the recruits may go into another service since they won't be allowed in the Marine Corps with those tats.

This is my problem with the military today and from what I understand, it has been a problem since Desert Storm. The military cares more about appearances then it does about performance. The person who looks the part gets the promotion over the person who can actually accomplish the job. Promotion is out-dated in the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. I think, though I could be wrong, that Air Force is the only service where your knowledge of your ACTUAL job affects if you get promoted or not. In the Army how competent you are at your job has no effect, you're only tested on general army knowledge.

Over half the military winds up with tattoos, it's a foregone conclusion. You know what you will find outside almost every military base in the US? Tattoo parlors and car lots. I'm not talking down the road either, we're talking a few hundred feet from the gates. In Germany you can replace the car lots with red light districts. I began getting my tattoos when I was in training and it has continued on to this day. I understand banning gang, racists and the like tattoos, but to ban ink that is almost always covered, fucking ridiculous.

For educational knowledge, here is my latest ink which was mentioned in yesterday's post.