The Few, the Proud, the Tattooed

The USMC is so desperate to keep people that… they’re tightening the screws on tattoos:

The Marines are banning any new, extra-large tattoos below the elbow or the knee, saying such body art is harmful to the Corps’ spit-and-polish image.

The new policy doesn’t apply just to Marines in uniform. Potential recruits are also being shown the door:

The current USMC crackdown has a lot of do with the marines making their recruiting numbers. They now have to find ways to decide who to accept, and who to reject. Folks with an abundance of tattoos are not welcome.

Don’t worry, though. StrategyPage reports that the Army “has loosened up on tattoos, and will probably get some people the marines turned away just because of the body art.”