Could Mike Tyson sign up if he was younger and not a felon?
No.
How come nobody thought of that during the Vietnam War?
How come nobody thought of being gay during the Vietnam war?
Arlo Guthrie too. Well, in song.
Feigning being gay was very commonly suggested as a way to avoid being drafted during Vietnam. (I turned 18 in 1969, and the draft and how to avoid it was a very common subject among my peers.)
Can Maori with facial tattoos join the New Zealand military?
What about scarification? It’s pretty common for west African immigrants to have facial scarification-- could they join?
Friend of a friend (of course) said that the friend actually went that route.
Authority @ Induction: "Are there any homosexuals/queers here?
Friend: Me, sir.
AAI: You’re homosexual/queer?
F: Yes, sir.
AAI: You mean that if you had the chance you’d get down right now and suck my dick? (In front of however many men were in the line [I don’t mean a line to suck his dick; I mean the people in line to be inducted])
F: Yes, sir.
AAI: Hit the road, homo.
Not a lot of hets would have done that back then. Most probably thought that they could dodge combat, dodge getting shot, dodge getting killed; and, that the odds were better than being definitely branded queer, and having a written record that you admitted to it. Word could get out.
I believe the current rules regarding tattoos is that soldiers may NOT have tattoos that show when the soldier is in his dress uniform. That means no tattoos on the hands, wrists, neck, or face. I was never all that clear as to when a female can wear a skirt or slacks with her dress uniform, but I suspect they’d prefer no ankle/calf tattoos on female personnel.
So, there’s 3 permutations of this:
- Soldier had tattoos in forbidden places BEFORE the rule was made. Those were probably grandfathered in.
B. Soldier got tattooed in forbidden places after the rule was made. This is disobeying an order and is a Court Martial offence.
III. Civilian with a tattoo in forbidden places tries to enlist. Recruiter says “Sorry, I can’t take you.” And just so you know, a recruit candidate will get a full blown physical before he takes the oath. And that takes place in his home town, or at the place nearest his home town. He’d never make it as far as the recruit training base.
Apparently the Army at least has modified its rules recently to allow tattoos on the hands and the back of the neck.
Here’s the policies for the various branches. Policies of the Navy and Marines are more restrictive.
They can join the International Fleet, I’m pretty sure.
I have heard (secondhand, but not thirdhand or more) that even in Vietnam era, the recruiters were :rolleyes: and realized each recruit was full of shit about their supposed gayness. And that they prefaced the examination with along the lines of “I suppose you’re gay, too?” In other words, that that has been tried (and presumably failed) many times before.
IMHO the “correct” response would be that maybe I would, but you’d have to buy me dinner first.
In an article about a soldier who wants $100 Million in damages because his tats bar his promotion I saw this
It also says "Thorogood spent 10 years on active duty in the Army as a decorated soldier and sniper"
The ALARACT he is talking about is ALARACT 017/2006. It did allow tattoos on the hands and neck, but it was written back in 2006. I suspect that article was also written in 2006, and I have no idea what was “updated” in the article in May 2014.
The current tattoo policy (ETA: as of March 31, 2014) in the Army forbids all tattoos above the collar.
“(1) Soldiers are prohibited from having tattoos or brands on the head, face (except for permanent makeup, as provided in paragraph 3–2b(2)), neck (anything above the t-shirt neck line to include on/inside the eyelids, mouth, and ears), wrists, hands, or fingers. Accessing applicants must adhere to this same policy” (AR 670-1 para 3-3c).
Additionally, tattoos below the elbow and knees are restricted in size and quantity. Sleeve tattoos are not allowed.
“Soldiers may have no more than four visible tattoos below the elbow (to the wrist bone) or below the knee. The tattoos in these areas must be smaller than the size of the wearer’s hand with fingers extended and joined with the thumb touching the base of the index finger. The total count of all tattoos in these areas may not exceed a total of four. (a) A single tattoo is defined as one or multiple tattoos spaced apart that can still be covered by a circle with a diameter of five inches. Tattoos spaced apart that cannot be covered by a circle with a diameter of five inches are considered separate tattoos. (b) A band tattoo is a tattoo that fully encircles the circumference of the body part. Band tattoos may be no more than two inches in width. Each band tattoo counts as one authorized tattoo (see para 3–3c(2)). Soldiers may have a total of one visible band tattoo on the body. The band tattoo may either be below one elbow (above the wrist bone) or below one knee. (c) A sleeve tattoo is a tattoo that is a very large tattoo or a collection of smaller tattoos that covers or almost covers a person’s arm or leg. Sleeve tattoos are not authorized below the elbow or below the knee.”
That recent modification of the rules is not the most recent. As has been true since Christ was a Corporal when more troops are needed rules get relaxed. Since there is now a drawdown the rules have tightened again. Here are the current regulations. Army tightens personal appearance, tattoo policy | Article | The United States Army
This for the British army from the news earlier this month.
You don’t seem to understand that back in the Vietnam era, candidates that recruiters saw were people who wanted to VOLUNTEER for military/naval service. Draftees generally did NOT want to serve and dealt with Selective Service pre-induction physicals and examinations. These were the candidates who would claim to be homosexual to get a 4-F draft classification.
I wonder whether it’s fair to assume that folks with tattoos in their faces must be really bad-ass, i. e. exactly the kind of people you want to join a fighting force.
You don’t just want people who are badasses, or else your major recruiting ground would be prisons. 
You want people who will accept authority and take orders, and I doubt whether there is a strong correlation between this and facial tattoos.