View Full Version : Tattoos in Dep
Mahoney63
02-08-10, 07:38 PM
I have had 3 different recruiters ever since Ive been in the DEP, and I don't recall any of them saying that you are not aloud to get tattoos while in the DEP. I would like to now if you are aloud to or not because one of my friends in a different recruiting office said his recruiter said no tattoos while in the DEP. Any help would be appreciated.
I have had 3 different recruiters ever since Ive been in the DEP, and I don't recall any of them saying that you are not aloud to get tattoos while in the DEP. I would like to now if you are aloud to or not because one of my friends in a different recruiting office said his recruiter said no tattoos while in the DEP. Any help would be appreciated.
DO NOT GET ANY TATTOOS IN DEP... And talk to your Recruiter.. S/F
Lisa 23
02-08-10, 07:43 PM
NO tattoos.
Mahoney63
02-08-10, 07:45 PM
DO NOT GET ANY TATTOOS IN DEP... And talk to your Recruiter.. S/F
Is it a written rule or did I sign a document before I went to MEPS that said this?
josephd
02-08-10, 07:47 PM
I wouldn't even think about getting a tattoo until you graduate from bootcamp, SOI, MOS school, and hit you first duty station
Lisa 23
02-08-10, 07:47 PM
IF you want to get into the Marine Corps, DO NOT get any tattoos before boot camp....period!
Mahoney63
02-08-10, 07:48 PM
Thank you for the replies but can someone answer this for me. Is it a written rule or did I sign a document before I went to MEPS that said this?
Lisa 23
02-08-10, 07:50 PM
Do you want to be a Marine or not?
Mahoney63
02-08-10, 07:52 PM
I do, I would just appreciate having my question answered.
Lisa 23
02-08-10, 07:55 PM
I don't believe you signed any papers about tattoos while in the DEP.
And as already stated, if you want to be a Marine, DO NOT get any tattoos while in the DEP. It will require a waiver that may or may not get approved. So if this is something that you have wanted to do in being a Marine, DO NOT get any tattoos, or you can kiss your chances of being a Marine good-bye!
Also, you should pay more attention to the papers you are signing! That's your name going on those papers...read BEFORE signing.
Mahoney63
02-08-10, 07:57 PM
I understand what you are saying, I have many friends who are in the marines and while in the Dep they got tattoos so I was just wondering about if there was a paper that had slipped my mind that I had signed, but thank you very much for answering my question.
Lisa 23
02-08-10, 07:59 PM
Don't worry about what your friends got, worry about yourself. That was then, this is now.
And when using the word Marines, it will capitalized at all times.
Mahoney63
02-08-10, 08:08 PM
My mistake for not capitalizing Marines and I did pay attention to every paper I signed I even had my recruiter make a copy of every single one, I just thought it may have slipped my mind, but I will go look through the papers and see if there is one. I will be sure to ask my recruiter his view on it during our weekly meetings. Thank you very much WMarine for all the advice.
Silentwarrior17
02-08-10, 08:46 PM
Do not go and get a tattoo. There is not document that you signed that states that you wouldn't or that you can't. The thing with getting a tattoo in DEP is the fact that you will have to then might have to get a waver and delay your enlistment. From there, the higher ups in the Recruiting Command will want a written response from you. They will want to know why you got the tattoo, what it means, and they will look for any kind of sign that it's related to anything that the Corps bans. Talk to your recruiter during the week and then if you have to talk to the NCOIC and get the facts before you decide to do anything. The last thing that you want at this point is to be DQed for anything.
Mahoney63
02-08-10, 09:09 PM
Do not go and get a tattoo. There is not document that you signed that states that you wouldn't or that you can't. The thing with getting a tattoo in DEP is the fact that you will have to then might have to get a waver and delay your enlistment. From there, the higher ups in the Recruiting Command will want a written response from you. They will want to know why you got the tattoo, what it means, and they will look for any kind of sign that it's related to anything that the Corps bans. Talk to your recruiter during the week and then if you have to talk to the NCOIC and get the facts before you decide to do anything. The last thing that you want at this point is to be DQed for anything.
Thank you for your response Silentwarrior17 I know about having the good reason for it which I defiantly do, but I will first talk to my recruiter this week and see what he has to say and then go from there.
Lisa 23
02-08-10, 09:11 PM
What do you have in mind as far as the tattoo goes...and what part of your body do you plan on getting this tattoo? And what's the reason for getting the tattoo you want to get?
brian0351
02-09-10, 03:59 AM
Thank you for your response Silentwarrior17 I know about having the good reason for it which I defiantly do, but I will first talk to my recruiter this week and see what he has to say and then go from there.
So you have a "good reason" for getting a tattoo while in the DEP, when it could possibly delay your enlistment or disqualify you all together?
Every MARINE here has told you to wait until you get to your first duty station as a minimum. Not to mention that the Marine Corps has just released a much more stringent no-tattoo policy.
There is no "good reason" when it comes to your future as a Marine. It doesn't matter if it's a friend or relative who's passed on or the name of your kids. There is NO "good reason". There are other ways to honor those people and none of them can jeopardize your possible future career.
But go ahead and do what you want...after all you know better because you have a "good reason".
Phantom Blooper
02-09-10, 07:40 AM
I would say.....talk to your recruiter to give you the peace of mind that you desire....about getting a tattoo.
Then to satisfy yourself by want wanting to get one.....while in DEP....go out and buy an indelible permanent magic marker.
Get fancy Staples and Wal-Mart sell colored ones!
Then you can put a BIG tattoo across your forehead to look at when you look in the mirror saying, "NO TATTOO!"
And then ask yourself everytime.....which part of NO don't I understand!
That should satisfy the urge.....at least to get through boot camp and schooling and hit the fleet or wing.
Then with some units you still need approval to get one and where at.....
But since you have a good reason.....go ahead and do what you think is best.:evilgrin:
When I was in DEP, a guy got a tattoo. Did he get kicked out? No, they decided to keep him, but his ship date was pushed back by about 3 months. And guess who had already quit his job?
Here's the deal, as has been mentioned, they will want to know exactly what the tattoo is about, and they're used to being lied to, so they are very skeptical. The guy I'm talking about had his sister's name with her birth and death date because she was murdered while he was in DEP. Here's the problem, all those papers you signed saying you were enlisting, those were all based on the assumption that you didn't need a waiver. You get a tattoo and all that paperwork is down the drain. Rip it up, start over, go back to MEPS, spend another fun day sitting in a lobby for 10 hours. Behind the scenes, your recruiter and MEPS are now trying to rearrange things because your original ship date has likely changed, which means that the depot awaiting your arrival doesn't have the same number of recruits. Its a nightmare. The whole time, your recruiter is scrambling to do damage control to A) get you in, and B) having his higher ups from ripping him a new one too badly, and don't worry, they will.
You are nobody's best friend at this point. **** rolls downhill and you're in the valley doing headstands.
As everyone has said, don't do it. I understand that you were requesting a reason, but this is the Corps, you don't get reasons, you get orders.
Old Marine
02-09-10, 10:25 AM
Thank you for the replies but can someone answer this for me. Is it a written rule or did I sign a document before I went to MEPS that said this?
I'll answer it for you and you will not like the answer.
If you do not know what you signed then you have a major problem.
The other answer is this: NO TATOOS.
Now drop it.
Phantom Blooper
02-09-10, 11:16 AM
When I was in DEP, a guy got a tattoo. Did he get kicked out? No, they decided to keep him, but his ship date was pushed back by about 3 months. And guess who had already quit his job?
Orders changed & rules changed since you went into DEP and 2003.:evilgrin:
Orders changed & rules changed since you went into DEP and 2003.:evilgrin:
Excellent point, Staff Sergent, I failed to mention that.
Mahoney63
02-09-10, 11:33 PM
I'll answer it for you and you will not like the answer.
If you do not know what you signed then you have a major problem.
The other answer is this: NO TATOOS.
Now drop it.
I know exactly what I was signing a even have a folder of every single paper I signed, I had a copy made of all the papers.
Old Marine
02-10-10, 10:04 AM
I understand what you are saying, I have many friends who are in the marines and while in the Dep they got tattoos so I was just wondering about if there was a paper that had slipped my mind that I had signed, but thank you very much for answering my question.
So, if the supposed many Marine friends all got into a vehicle and drove it off a cliff, would you do the same.
In the Marine Corps, there are unwritten regulations at each unit and there are written orders also. You should always obey you last order that you receive.
I'm reading this thread as coming from a poolee who went and got a tatoo and now wants to justify, qualify it and back it up with a written order.
echo3oscar1833
02-10-10, 02:13 PM
Dude don't get a tattoo, you wanted an answer we gave you one. Remember we are Marines, we know what we are talking about. I don't know how the all these threads where not plain enough English for you.
Tattoo= Delayed ship time, and possible denial of enlistment all together, and work at McDonald's the rest of your life.
No Tattoo= You can ship when your supposed to, and possibly become a Marine.
Hope that is simple enough for you.
Sgt Leprechaun
02-10-10, 09:27 PM
Real simple. Go get your tat that you OBviously want soooo bad. Make sure it's a sleeve or a neck tat with something cool like swastikas, SS runics, Black power symbols or whatever. Then post it all over facebook or myspace. Oh and here as well.
Do it! Since you DON'T want to listen to the experienced Marines here and want to argue, nitpick, and demand in writing and such.
Let us know how it all works out for you.
Jeebus.