A word of advise

[devildog6204]

Take it fom someone who has been there. If you are a poolee waiting to leave. Do NOT get any type of tattoos. If you do, you take a risk of getting discharged from the dep. and it is hardier than...

[jinelson]

Very sound advice LCpl Whiteside, Poolees and wannabes listen up. A Navy Corpsman named MAC posted a thread on this same subject a few weeks ago look it up, read it and feel his pain, as experience yours or anothers is the best teacher.

Jim :marine:

[CrazyBrave83]

Yeah, I guess they cracked down hardcore on this, when I was at MEPS back in '03, they'd take pictures of every tattoo kids had and send them off someplace for analysis. It would often keep kids at MEPS for more than the slotted time (I myself was there for 4 days because of my knee), and resulted in a few being turned away.

A Major issue the Corps has with tattoos (aside from those that are visible while in a uniform) is the meaning behind them. You may have a chain on your arm because you think it looks cool but they look at it as a prison tattoo. You may have a certain insignia and color scheme but they'll regard it as gang-related ink, which makes it a lot more difficult to dodge the hurdles.

[MTWHITE1]

YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY BELOW THE WRIST AND ABOVE THE NECK LINE... SUCKS, BUT THAT'S THE WAY IT IS. A SGT FRIEND OF MINE MENTIONED TO ME A COUPLE OF WEEKS BACK, THAT THE MARINE CORPS IS TRYING TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO REMOVE TATTOOS FOR RE-ENLISTMENT PACKAGES? DON'T GET THEM UNTIL YOUR IN, THEN PICK CAREFULLY!! SEMPER FI

SGT WHITE

[A.P]

Hey poolees
I have two fore arm tattoos (after boot) and i have been in for a little under a year.
dont sweat it, just be careful.
PFC Patchin

[USMCRCTFORSTER]

If you think about it, its rather pointless to get a tattoo before Boot. I mean, in some cases people will gain muscle weight, which if i'm not mistaken, could stretch the skin out and b0rk your ink anyways. I for one have a thousand different tattoo ideas swarming through my head, but apart from the hastle i'll put my NCOIC through, it would mean a lot more after Boot

[0300poolee]

i know this one kid who wants to enlist but has a tattoo on the back of his neck, because of this i beleive it may disqualify him from enlisting. is it possible that he can just have this tattoo covered up with flesh colored ink and play it off like it is a birthmark at MEPS? because i heard that having them removed is painful and expensive, not to mention you must wait several months and get a waiver.

[USMCRCTFORSTER]

not a good way to start off your enlistment, with a lie...you know

[troop901]

0300, If he has it covered then make sure he tells them what it is and not a birthmark, it will be much easier on him that way. I am not a big proponet of tattoo's myself, and yes I do have one, I got it while in ITS, ITR to some older jarheads and I guess its SOI now. Its a simple tatoo that simply reads *U.S.M.C*, didnt feel the need for the bulldog or flags or skull. But if you feel the need for one, then wait till after boot, I know the Marine regs on them have changed on em since I got out.

[USMCgrunt0331]

We had a few guys in my FAST platoon get Page 11's for getting tattoos on their forearms.

[0300poolee]

troop901, he doesn't yet have it covered but i was wondering if he should because it may be easier for him to enlist that way, so you are saying no to that?

[troop901]

No 0300, he can have it covered, meant he should be honest when he tells them about what it is and not lie and say its a birthmark. If he's honest, he will probally get a waiver, if not and they find out he lied, he wont be gettin no waiver.

[0300poolee]

thank you corporal for the advice, i'll make sure he gets the message

[iowasurfer2]

I don't think covering a tatoo with "flesh colred" ink is quite as easy as you are making it sound. Tatoo ink is hard to cover and usually needs to be covered with a darker ink to mask it. Like trying to paint a dark colored wall white. Anyway, I would say his best bet is to have his recruiter check with the MEPS liason or use dial a doc (recruiter will know what it is) and do a pre-check before he wastes his time and money. A simple phone call will give him the answer. Remember, EVERYTHING is waiverable, it just depends on the circumstances. And the Corps had it's worst recruiting month in 25 years in April. FMAM (Feb, Mar, Apr, and May) are traditionally the worst recruiting months anyway, add in the wars going on, and you have a recipe for poor recruiting = more leniency on waivers. Semper Fi

[troop901]

Just meant on this tatoo thing that he shouldnt lie about it, to cover it up or what not is his choice, just he should not lie about the fact he has it. And glad to see we got someone who was/is a cruitor to help out these young future jarheads.
SF Marine