New Tattoo Policy in the United States Army
I looked at the article Soldiers Told New Rules Governing Tattoos, Grooming Standards on the Way. The link to the article is below and here is a brief summary. The U.S. Army’s
new policy will ban tattoos that are visible below the elbow, knee and above
the neckline (Smith,2013) . Therefore, new recruits will not be able to enlist
if they have tattoos in those places. Currently, soldiers with tattoos already
in those places will be allowed to keep them (Smith, 2013). All soldiers will
be required to talk to their unit leaders and show each of their tattoos
(Smith, 2013). Still not permitted are tattoos that are offensive for example,
tattoos that are racist, sexist or extremist (Smith, 2013). If a solider does
have offensive tattoos he or she will have to pay themselves to remove it (Smith,
2013). According to Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond Chandler, these changes are
being made to have a standard appearance throughout the army and because they
want soldiers to be recognized for their “achievements and not because of the
way they look” (Smith, 2013).
Article Link: http://www.stripes.com/news/army/soldiers-told-new-rules-governing-tattoos-grooming-standards-on-the-way-1.24282
Tattoo Policy for Other Branches of Service: The tattoo policy for other branches of service is as follows for example, the Air Force revised its policy on tattoos in 2011 which states that tattoos cannot be “excessive, therefore they cannot cover more than 25 percent of an exposed body part (like forearm) when wearing any uniform” (Rawlings, 2013). The Marines updated their tattoo policy in 2010 which states that enlisted Marines “can’t have tattoos on their hands, fingers, wrists or inside their mouths, and any tattoo visible from a physical training uniform can’t be larger than a fist” (Rawlings, 2013). In 2006, the Navy updated its policy to allow tattoos “when wearing a uniform shirt as long as they are smaller than an extended hand”(Rawlings, 2013). Therefore," they can have as many tattoos as they want on their chest/abdominal region but it should not be seen through their uniform" (Rawlings, 2013). Thus, in my opinion the Army has the toughest tattoo policy compared to the other branches of service that are less strict.
My Opinion
I personally think it should not matter if your tattoos
show because if a soldier is risking his or her life to protect mine then
having tattoos on their body that are visible is the least of my concerns. The
only thing I agree with Sgt. Major Chandler is that the tattoos should not be offensive
to any group or people. Additionally, the most important aspect of this job
should be your skills and talent. I think they will lose out on many potential
candidates because of this tattoo policy since a growing number of people have
tattoos.
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| A tattoo like this would not be allowed. |
What are your thoughts/ comments about the Army banning
tattoos below the knees, elbows and above the neckline?
Do you think it is a good idea to have such a strict
tattoo policy in a workplace such as the army?
Do you think this will hurt recruitment in the Army?
References:
Smith, J. (2013, September 23). Soldiers told new rules governing tattoos, grooming standards on the way.Stars & Stripes. Retrieved from http://www.stripes.com/news/army/soldiers-told-new-rules-governing-tattoos-grooming-standards-on-the-way-1.242828
Rawlings, N. (2013, September 26). Tat-us quo: Despite strict new army rules, other branches keep tattoo policies intact. Time. Retrieved from http://nation.time.com/2013/09/26/tat-us-quo-despite-strict-new-army-rules-other-branches-keep-tattoo-policies-intact/
Tattoo Image:
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