# Can you join the military if you have facial tatoos? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 6, 2014, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457 "2014-07-06T02:04:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sidecar\_jon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@sidecar\_jon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sidecar_jon)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457/21 "2014-07-06T20:04:55Z")
One might expect that people with face tats to be , more disposable than others… ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457/22 "2014-07-06T20:08:53Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > 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. What if someone told the guy to get a facial tattoo? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457/23 "2014-07-06T20:44:34Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > What if someone told the guy to get a facial tattoo? I don’t think it’s generally a job requirement outside of Salvadoran drug gangs or Maori warriors. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457/24 "2014-07-07T00:27:30Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > …As has been true since Christ was a Corporal when more troops are needed rules get relaxed. … This sentence is wonderful. Rhythm, provocative image, alliteration. Seriously. The “…since when Christ was a Corporal…”–did you just create that? Used in military circles? ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457/25 "2014-07-07T00:57:40Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > This sentence is wonderful. Rhythm, provocative image, alliteration. Seriously. > > The “…since when Christ was a Corporal…”–did you just create that? Used in military circles? That’s an old military cliche. I preferred “Back when men were iron, ships were wood, and Christ was a Seaman Apprentice” myself. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457/26 "2014-07-07T01:06:50Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > That’s an old military cliche. I preferred “Back when men were iron, ships were wood, and Christ was a Seaman Apprentice” myself. Or when Moby Dick was a minnow. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457/27 "2014-07-07T03:30:20Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > 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. Did you just want to quibble over the definition of one word? Incidentally, the dictionary includes draftees under the definition for “recruits.” ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457/28 "2014-07-07T03:38:35Z")
“Since Noah was a sailor” turns up in _Twelfth Night_. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457/29 "2014-07-08T18:12:47Z")
Or there’s “Since Hector was a pup” - and he was an old king. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457/30 "2014-07-08T18:59:54Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > This for the British army from the news earlier this month. Did I read that right? The British Army has _outsourced recruiting_? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457/31 "2014-07-08T20:07:11Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > This sentence is wonderful. Rhythm, provocative image, alliteration. Seriously. > > The “…since when Christ was a Corporal…”–did you just create that? Used in military circles? Sure, I made it up. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457/32 "2014-07-08T20:21:03Z")
Which reminds me, **Loach** , I’ve been meaning to talk to you about finalizing your sale of the Brooklyn Bridge to me… ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457/33 "2014-07-08T22:43:53Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > That’s an old military cliche. I preferred “Back when men were iron, ships were wood, and Christ was a Seaman Apprentice” myself. “When Christ was a mess cook.” ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457/34 "2014-07-16T23:21:40Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Or there’s “Since Hector was a pup” - and he was an old king. I thought that this was in reference to that old Disney movie “Hector, the Sea Dog”. lol ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457/35 "2014-07-17T01:24:16Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Did you just want to quibble over the definition of one word? Incidentally, the dictionary includes draftees under the definition for “recruits.” Speaking as someone who was drafted, yes, I will “quibble over the definition of one word” with you. As a matter of fact, I’ll define a couple of words for you. 1. Recruit: Someone undergoing basic training. B. Volunteer or Enlistee: Someone who, by choice and via a recruiter, entered military service. iii. Draftee: Someone who could either go in the Army or refuse and go to a Federal Penitentiary for 3 years. They never saw a recruiter. Both volunteers and draftees became recruits when they entered basic training. For some people, stuff isn’t just an academic exercise where you look up things in books. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-join-the-military-if-you-have-facial-tatoos/692457.md?page=1)