fulmetaljackass
06-01-04, 01:06 PM
This question is especially for Marines currently on recruiting duty or Marines who work at a MEPS.
Here's my situation: I got most of the tattoos I have while in the Marine Corps, to include tattoos on my shins and one on my right wrist. Those can be seen in pt gear, but I never was reprimanded for them, and even my company CO at the time told me he liked them. This was in '98 and '99. I was young(er) and dumb(er) and I decided to see what life held outside the Corps. Over the years, I realized that no amount of money can replace the brotherhood I had, and I finally decided to do something about that. Adding to the tattoos visible in pt gear, I now have one on my inner forearm. None of my tattoos are racial or gang related, and I even had the rebel flag on my back covered up to clarify that fact. D!m&, am I long winded or what? Anyway, the recruiter in my town (at a sub? RSS) said rather than waste my time by going to MEPS, take photos and write a letter about them, which I did. I called every few days to check up on things, only to hear that he hadn't heard anything about me being able to get a waiver (as in he had heard neither yay nor nay). Realizing that I couldn't make anything happen by bugging the recruiter every few days, I just told him to call me when he heard something.
The next time I heard from him was when I went with my best friend to one of his DEP meetings, and the recruiter took me in to his SNCOIC and just said, "Remember this guy?" I didn't even have the heart to ask about the waiver. Well, there's only one permanent defeat I can think of, and I ain't dead yet, so does anyone have any info I could use regarding this situation? Shouldn't the fact that I've already been in the Marine Corps and had most of my tattoos (and I'd take a belt sander to these things if it'd help) have some bearing on the matter? Any info you can offer me is greatly appreciated, even if it's not what I want to hear.
Here's my situation: I got most of the tattoos I have while in the Marine Corps, to include tattoos on my shins and one on my right wrist. Those can be seen in pt gear, but I never was reprimanded for them, and even my company CO at the time told me he liked them. This was in '98 and '99. I was young(er) and dumb(er) and I decided to see what life held outside the Corps. Over the years, I realized that no amount of money can replace the brotherhood I had, and I finally decided to do something about that. Adding to the tattoos visible in pt gear, I now have one on my inner forearm. None of my tattoos are racial or gang related, and I even had the rebel flag on my back covered up to clarify that fact. D!m&, am I long winded or what? Anyway, the recruiter in my town (at a sub? RSS) said rather than waste my time by going to MEPS, take photos and write a letter about them, which I did. I called every few days to check up on things, only to hear that he hadn't heard anything about me being able to get a waiver (as in he had heard neither yay nor nay). Realizing that I couldn't make anything happen by bugging the recruiter every few days, I just told him to call me when he heard something.
The next time I heard from him was when I went with my best friend to one of his DEP meetings, and the recruiter took me in to his SNCOIC and just said, "Remember this guy?" I didn't even have the heart to ask about the waiver. Well, there's only one permanent defeat I can think of, and I ain't dead yet, so does anyone have any info I could use regarding this situation? Shouldn't the fact that I've already been in the Marine Corps and had most of my tattoos (and I'd take a belt sander to these things if it'd help) have some bearing on the matter? Any info you can offer me is greatly appreciated, even if it's not what I want to hear.