i am not sure this is too very smart

the numbers are dwindling as it is. do they really want to exclude someone simply because he or she has ink in certain places?

they give these young kids guns and teach them to kill. yes, that's what they do (among other things of course. i mean NO disrespect to the marines). yet they're getting all prissy about ink? c'mon now

Marines Ban Big, Garish Tattoos

By THOMAS WATKINS Associated Press Writer Published March 28, 2007, 6:39 PM CDT
OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- Five tattooed skulls stretch from Marine Cpl. Jeremy Slaton's right elbow to his wrist, spelling out the word "Death." He planned to add a tattoo spelling "Life" on his left arm, but that's on hold because of a Marine policy taking effect Sunday.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.
Slaton and other grunts are not pleased."I guess I'll get the other half later," grumbled the 24-year-old leatherneck from Eden Prairie, Minn. "It's kind of messed up."For many Marines, getting a tattoo is a rite of passage. They commonly get their forearms inscribed to remember fallen comrades, combat tours or loved ones, and often ask for exotic designs that incorporate the Marine motto, Semper Fi, or "Always faithful."............