New Army Rules for Tattoos, Grooming On the Way

They will lose a wealth of knowledge because of this, next thing will be anyone with 3 + years will be aloud to separate voluntarily with an honorable. :wall:
Air Force allows Airmen to waive 2-3 years of there contract under the new Force Management programs with an Honorable and VA Benefits.
 
Meh. Nothing new. Just an easy way for them to downsize. In the 80's a speeding ticket, a bounced check at the PX, and a myriad of other little minor things were enough to bar you from re-enlisting.

LL
 
I did not get tattoos until after I left the service... partly because of the mission at the time, partly because I didn't want the hassle. None of mine are visible in a short sleeve shirt, people don't need to know I have them unless they'll understand them...

Face, neck hand and head tattoos are an ancient warrior tradition... but our current general society has fallen away from any type of warrior ethos, and these marks of earned honor have been turned into marks of criminality by gangs and prisons... the usurpation of honor marks by the lowest of the low is sad, and those who earned them honorably in battle have to deal with a stigma of that criminality because that's what the media shows...

A stupid order, if not unlawful, still has to be followed, right? Performance, ability, and growth should be the keys to promotions and retention, not body art that does not impinge on the 'face' of the services.
 
Tattoo's have never been more popular in American culture than they are presently. I did a lot of research for that article I wrote, and many are saying that America is in the midst of a "Tattoo Renaissance". By the Army adopting this train of thought, they are cutting off thousands if not millions of potential volunteers from joining. This comes at a time when the military has already stated that the amount of obese Americans in the military age demographic is now a national security concern. So, less than 20% of military aged citizens are eligible for service, and you are going to cut into that number EVEN MORE with this new regulation. It just doesn't make sense.
 
Tattoo's have never been more popular in American culture than they are presently. I did a lot of research for that article I wrote, and many are saying that America is in the midst of a "Tattoo Renaissance". By the Army adopting this train of thought, they are cutting off thousands if not millions of potential volunteers from joining. This comes at a time when the military has already stated that the amount of obese Americans in the military age demographic is now a national security concern. So, less than 20% of military aged citizens are eligible for service, and you are going to cut into that number EVEN MORE with this new regulation. It just doesn't make sense.

Agreed, and not to mention what a huge insult it is to the hundreds of thousands of tattooed veterans and war dead that served this country and kept it free through their sacrifice.

Tell a WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Middle eastern veteran, or go to a Military cemetery, and tell all the tattooed vets and the fallen that they aren't professional.

But we are falling over ourselves to be non discriminatory to gays, females, minorities etc...

If I hear one more leader give a speech about how they value the troops and care about our welfare, I'm going to vomit.

Assholes.
 
What I really don't understand is what the hell was wrong with the old regulation? No tats below the wrist, above the collar of the dress uniform. Yes they gave waivers out for some guys to enlist. But this no tattoo below the elbow or knee is stupid. Soldiers and Sailors have had forearm tats since before WW2. I have one tattoo on my lower leg/below the knee that would be out of reg (if I was still in). Unless I was in PTs nobody would ever see it. And why would they care what I look like while doing PT?

This "new reg" is total bullshit and I would imagine that it puts more than half the current soldiers out of regulation.

Helping to push soldiers out? There is a ton of things (as has been pointed out in this thread) that can be used to push sand-baggers out with. But this regulation is something totally different. Some jackass who doesn't like tattoos trying to make a point, etc. It has nothing to do with looking professional, or they would have simply started enforcing the old regulation.
 
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The no lower leg tattoos make sense for women for wearing Class A's. Even when I was going to enlist way back when they weren't really allowed and if they did you were only able to wear trousers for your dress uniform.
 
Good point medicchick, but also seems like they had that covered already for female soldiers, by requirement of wearing the slacks vs the skirt.

I still think the below the elbow/knee rule is dumb. Besides, what soldier, male or female, wants to wear a skirt. lol

ETA: my main point was that the rules/regs worked before. They don't need to re-invent the wheel. Just enforce the regs as they were and stop granting waivers.
 
Has any guidance been pushed out to Army recruiters on the regulations or is there a suspected implementation date. I'm trying to look out for a hopeful SF candidate with a sleeve. It's hard to tell if his recruiters are being pushy to meet their quota (which they were openly discussing in front of him) or if they're trying to get him in before the regulatory Morale Bomb pisses off/on half the Army.
 
Soldier Systems has this article on the new regs:
http://soldiersystems.net/2014/03/20/new-us-army-wear-uniform-appearance-guidance/

PDF: http://soldiersystems.net/blog1/wp-...New-US-Army-Uniform-and-Appearance-Policy.pdf

New sideburn standards, new mustache standards and some awesome tattoo standards. Oh, they can also result in UCMJ action.

Portions of AR 670-1 and most of the appearance and grooming chapter are punitive

Violations of the punitive sections by Soldiers may result in adverse administrative and/or charges under the provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

Sleeves aren't authorized (you are grandfathered in) and then there's this gem:

Officers and Warrant Officers are also restricted to this same policy; Enlisted Soldiers exceeding this limit cannot request commissioning (not grandfathered)

On one hand, I get it. On the other, not even grandfathered?

Anyway, all of the items (with pictures and drawings) are included in the .pdf above.
 
A lot of really good changes in there. The only things I don't like are the fact that they still allow the high and tight, the mustache must be worn in accordance with Hitlers tastes, and of course the fact that they don't allow sleeves anymore. I do agree with not having anything on the hands/neck/face though.
 
The slideshow regarding the 670-1 changes hit the airwaves at my unit last week. Most of the guys are planning on hitting up tattoo shops this week to get their sleeves outlined before everything gets documented.
 
The outlines are pretty much only placeholders because most guys I know have their one artist / shop they get all their work done at (usually at their homes of record). They don't want to get the whole sleeve done locally so they just get the outlines so they can be grandfathered in and finish it later.
 
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