Has your military experience inspired you to get a tattoo?

I have been around tattoos all my life with brothers and uncles wearing them. I never had the desire to wear a tattoo as for me they send the wrong message no matter what you have on your body.

Navy 1979-1983, Army 1985-1989 and never found a single thing I thought I wanted permanently inked on my skin. Saw several in both branches who wished they hadn't gotten drunk and gotten tattooed, 'cause what was cool while inebriated wasn't so when sober

30 years, no tattoos, enough said...

I got all 16 tattoos when I was in. I haven't got anymore ink since I left the service even though I plan on finishing my sleeve. It's just an addiction. None of my tattoos have anything to do with my service though. I don't feel like the military influenced me on getting inked, it just became an interest and after the first one, I liked how it looked on me and became a habit. :) I don't regret getting any of them, even after leaving the Army. My current job doesn't discriminate against tattoos, in fact my boss, who is a lawyer, has 2 full sleeves, and is COVERED in tattoos. You can't base a persons work habits just because they have tattoos.

Not at all. I find them distracting.

No tattoos before, during or after the military. Will never get any.

Nope! I have nothing against them; just never had the desire to get one!

Tattoos have always been a part of the military culture which can has impacted all branches of service throughout history. Like most of the servicemen and woman on this post, my tattoos are a reflection, reminder or statement of my military experience that had a significant impact on my life.

With that said; I will share personal tattoo story that relates to the topic that readers might find funny and interesting. A few years ago between deployments, I was home getting ready for my next deployment. My wife noticed I was not wearing my wedding band and asks me why I wasn’t wearing it?

My reply was: “Sorry, honey I lost my wedding band in Afghanistan.” Naturally, she was upset. This was now the third time I had lost my wedding band. Since, I have been in the military. We argued and she insisted I got out and immediately get a new wedding band. I did not want to because I felt that I would only end up losing it.

I never liked wearing my wedding band underneath tactical gloves, or working on machinery wearing my wedding band. I tried taping it but just never got used to it. Well during our heated argument, I made the following statement sarcastically to wife: “What do you want me to do? Tattoo a wedding band on my finger!”

There was silence and I event felt good about myself since I got the last word. A little while later my wife came back and she told me that she wanted me to get a tattoo of her name on my ring finger. The result was what you see in the picture.

The story has a happy ending – I never thought that the gesture of tattooing my wife name on my ring finger would have such a positive impact on her and our marriage. She loved the way it turned out and sat with me during the tattoo session, took pictures and even called her mother to tell her about it. I am always getting compliments from people who notice the tattoo and ask is that your wife name? My wife loves it when people notice. It I would have known how happy this small tattoo made my wife feel, I would have done it when we were first married. BTW- Yesterday we celebrated 28 years of marriage!

18 years, and I only have four...two need to be recovered. I strongly advice against getting the cheapest tattoo possible or going to the cheapest tattoo parlor available. Do not get any tats in the Philippines...

Absolutely! I've got a few "Patriotic" ink sessions done and plan on more. I don't believe that in no way does a tattoo make anyone less professional than someone who doesn't. It is a personal choice that each person has the right to regardless of what others believe.