Marine's Rush for Tattoos Before Ban Takes Effect

Marine's from all over the country are in a rush to get their tattoos of choice in an effort to beat the Sunday deadline of a new policy that bans any new, extra-large tattoos below the elbow or knee. Their reason: such body art is harmful to the Corps' spit-and-polish image.

Caught in the awkward middle is 24-year-old Marine Cpl. Jeremy Slaton- he's got some skulls spelling out the word "death" on his right forearm. He'd planned to get "Life" on his other arm, but that's now on hold.

"I guess I'll get the other half later. It's kind of messed up," says Slaton.

Getting inked up is standard practice for servicemen- how many of our grandfathers sported a purple blob on their forearm that once looked like anchors or pin-up girls?

However, not to detract from their purpose or meaning, many will get inked as a way to remember fallen comrades and loved ones, often incorporating the Marine motto, Semper Fi. It's become a rite of passage.

At Camp Pendleton, many a Marine scheduled last-minute appointments at the local tattoo shops in order to beat the deadline.

Cpl. David Nadrchal is planning to get an Iraqi flag and his deployment dates inked onto his lower leg, but the new rule has effected his morale- "The fact I can't put something on my body that I want - it's a big thing to tell me I can't do that." On whether he will re-enlist- "There's all these little things. They are slowly chipping away at us."

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway wrote the new rule all by himself and defended it as such:

"Some Marines have taken the liberty of tattooing themselves to a point that is contrary to our professional demeanor and the high standards America has come to expect from us. I believe tattoos of an excessive nature do not represent our traditional values."

In all fairness, it's not all tattoos that are being banned- just the really cool ones that require more than 20 minutes to do. Marine's caught with fresh ink in the new no-no areas will risk being barred from re-enlistment or possible disciplinary action.