Lance Cpl. Tom Blachard shows his tattoo sleeves that cover one of his arms. There is a new push by Sgt. Majors to make these type of tattoos against Marine regulations. (Photo by Alan Lessig/Marine Corps Times)
The hotly debated Marine Corps tattoo policy will get another look this month, the commandant told a Marine audience in Japan on Tuesday.
Gen. Joseph Dunford paid a visit to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni on a brief tour of Marine Corps bases in the Asia-Pacific region. During a town hall-style question-and-answer session, he told troops that Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Ronald Green and other senior enlisted leaders would look at the Corps' current tattoo policy and decide if any changes were needed, according to reports from Marine combat correspondents.
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In a following radio interview with AFN Iwakuni that was published online, Green said the review would take place March 31 and April 1 and involve other Marine Corps sergeants major at the force level.
We absolutely have to do the things that are right to make us combat-effective and combat-ready, whatever that is, Green said. We're going to make that decision and give that advice to the commandant based on his intent and how he leads the Marine Corps.
In his comments Tuesday, Dunford did not say what elements of the tattoo policy might be reviewed or when a decision might be made regarding an update to the policy.
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We heard you, Green said, according to a news release from the town hall event. We are going to look at what is best for the Marine Corps and what will keep us combat ready and combat effective. We will make that decision and give that advice to the commandant.
A spokesman for the commandant, Lt. Col. Eric Dent, said he had nothing additional to add to the announcement by Dunford and Green. The sergeant major's spokesman referred all questions to the commandant's office.
Dunford told Marine Corps Times in Februarythat he hadn't looked at changing the tattoo policy as of then, but was open to hearing what Marines had to say about it.
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I'll be seeing enough Marines over the coming months — whatever issues are most on their mind, I'm sure I'll be hearing about them, he said. And whatever they happen to be, I'll listen.
About a month prior, Green told Marine Corps Times that while he doesn't have any body ink, he's a fan of tattoos.
The tattoo policy has been debate fodder since the tenure of 34th Commandant James Conway, who published aggressive new rules governing tattoo quantity, size and placement in 2007 and again in 2010.
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The policies banned sleeve tattoos and prohibited Marines from getting permanent ink on hands, feet, wrists or the inside of their mouths. The policies also limited how many tattoos could be visible while in uniform and established stricter guidelines for screening content of the images.
While grandfathering provisions were made for Marines who already had tattoos that didn't meet the new guidelines, these Marines were no longer eligible for certain special duty assignments, such as recruiting posts.
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Some Marines who left the Marine Corps and then tried to re-enter also found the new tattoo policies blocking their way. Dunford's announcement that Marine leaders would review current policies may sound a hopeful note for tattoo enthusiasts in uniform. The 35th commandant, Gen. James Amos, repeatedly refused to entertain requests to revisit the rules.The current tattoo policy will remain in place. There are no plans to change anything, Amos told Marines in March 2014 during a Facebook town hall forum.
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Conflicting opinions on tattoos impacted many Marine careers over the last few decades. In spite of this, Marines and their tattoos continue telling stories. Policies or perception have deterred few who wanted a tattoo. Quite the contrary, Marines seem even more proud of their ink.
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Adam Krick is one of these proudly tattooed Marines. He returned home from his first deployment to Iraq in February 2005. He and the other veterans of 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines enjoyed the bonds they formed in combat. Krick knew the experience would stick with him forever, and he wanted to memorialize it. He walked into a tattoo parlor outside the gates of Camp Lejeune and considered his options. A lot of guys went with the eagle, globe and anchor. Krick liked that idea, but instead selected a less traditional “tat.”
In Iraq, Krick had humped around a medium machine gun. He loved it, and he loved the camaraderie he shared with his fellow 0331s. As he sat down in the tattoo parlor, Krick presented a photograph of an M240G straight from the machine gunner’s training manual. He told the artist to draw the gun on his forearm as large as possible. The end result, stretching from wrist to elbow, left Krick looking unique among his peers.
“After that, I figured I couldn’t just do one because machine guns are always deployed in pairs, ” Krick recalled. “I went back and got another 240 on the other arm to match.”
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On leave at his home in Pennsylvania, Krick followed up his pair of tattoos with a traditional eagle, globe and anchor on his bicep. He returned to Camp Lejeune full of pride.
“Back then, obnoxious moto tats about your MOS weren’t really a thing yet, so I got ridiculed pretty hard by my senior enlisted.”
Krick joined his company in formation one day when the company gunnery sergeant called him to the front. The gunny made Krick raise his arms above his head, putting his 240s on display. After berating Krick in front of his peers, the gunny forced him to demonstrate “talking guns” with his inked weapons. He struggled to contain his laughter as he alternated arms boxing the air, making machine gun sounds with each punch.
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The experience served only to make Krick prouder of his tattoos, and he continued adding ink to his collection. At the same time, the Marine Corps revised its policy on tattoos. In 2007, while back in Iraq on his second deployment, Krick learned that tattoos on the forearm were no longer allowed. In order to avoid disciplinary action, his 240s needed to be photographed, added to his Service Record Book, and “grandfathered” into the new policy. While still in country, manning a remote traffic control point in Rutbah, Iraq, a senior Marine photographed Krick’s tattoos on a company camera.
Multiple times before Krick’s experience in 2007, and numerous times since, the Marine Corps changed its stance on “acceptable” tattoos. Ink on skin has always carried some association with an unprofessional appearance.
HM1 Jerry Ostrem with Marines in Vietnam during Operation Oklahoma Hills in 1969. Of his multiple tattoos, the large, fully rigged sailing ship riding the waves across his chest stands out. (USMC photo)
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Robert Ham, a former machine gunner with 1st Bn, 3rd Marines, recently added this new ink to his collection, celebrating his time as an 0331 from 2014-2018. (Photo courtesy of Robert Ham)
“It appears that the newer generation [of Marines] has taken to eccentric appearances of the popular culture, ” stated one Marine officer amid a major tattoo policy change. “The new policy sends a message to all Marines that this type of behavior does not fit into the conservative image the Marine Corps wants to project.”
Although this quote might easily be confused with sentiments from present day, the officer made these comments more than 25 years ago in May 1996. It is also curious that the policy implemented
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