Until recently, soldiers in the Army were limited on how many tattoos they could have on their arms and legs, as well as the size — tattoos bigger than the person’s hand were not allowed. But Sergeant Major of the Army Dan Dailey was surprised to hear the overwhelming negative response from soldiers to the policy and said that the policy may be changed, as he didn’t want the policy to be the reason a good soldier leaves the service.
In addition to affecting the career of currently-serving soldiers, the tattoo policy meant that prospective soldiers could not enlist if they had too many tattoos on their arms or legs.
Now, the rules on tattoos have officially been relaxed.
Under the new policy, soldiers can get tattoos on their arms and legs. The only restricted areas are the face, neck, and hands. Soldiers may have one ring tattoo on each hand. Tattoos that are considered to be racist, sexist, indecent, or associated with “extremist” brands or groups are prohibited. Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno spoke on the changes, saying that the Army must change their view of tattoos as society does.
