Recruiting service backs down on tattoos

A tattoo of a nautical star on the inside of Matthew Rieger’s right forearm threatened Rieger’s service with the Air Force. Rieger, left, is a 23-year-old Seattle resident who hopes to enter officer school in June.


Recruiting service backs down on tattoos
By Tom Spoth - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Dec 3, 2009 19:23:20 EST

The Air Force Recruiting Service rescinded a short-lived tattoo policy Thursday, after turning away 26 recruits from basic training.

A message sent Nov. 25 to recruiting personnel made several alterations to Recruiting Service procedure, but the one causing trouble was a ban on tattoos on a recruit’s right “saluting arm.”

Official Air Force policy bans only tattoos that are obscene or do not fit a “military image,” that cover more than one-fourth of a body part, or are above the collarbone. The Recruiting Service policy would have turned away recruits who complied fully with Air Force regulations.

The tougher tattoo rule for recruits, approved by Recruiting Service commander Brig. Gen. A.J. Stewart, followed an investigation of trainees that found more than 80 who didn’t comply with the Air Force tattoo policy, said spokeswoman Christa D’Andrea.

“The issue of not having tattoos on the right arm is one of military image,” D’Andrea said. “If (recruits) enter BMT with no tattoos on their right arm, they ensure they’re starting their career with an understanding of what military image means.”


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/12/airforce_tattoos_120309w/

"New recruits are shipped every Tuesday to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and recruits around the country — out of the 500 to 600 who ship out per week — who expected to start training that day were turned away, D’Andrea said. "


I'm still on coffee and running late this morning. Perhaps I'm simply missing the proper structure and meaning of the quoted sentence.