Uncle Sam wants you to enlist in the U.S. Army — unless you have a tattoo on your wrist, ankle or neck.
According to Stars and Stripes, new Army recruits will no longer be able to have tats below the elbow and knee or above the neckline. It’s likely that soldiers who already have ink in those locations will have their tattoos grandfathered in on a case-by-case basis.
Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond Chandler outlined the policy change in front of a group of soldiers in Afghanistan on Saturday.
“We’re just waiting for the secretary to sign,” Chandler said, explaining that Secretary John McHugh approves of the changes, but has not officially signed them.
Tattoos that are considered “offensive” will not be grandfathered in, and soldiers will have to pay for their removal.
Chandler expects the changes to be implemented in the next 30 to 60 days. Other possible policy alterations include make-up, fingernail polish, hair and piercings, but the Sgt. Maj. did not confirm those.
He also stressed that soldiers should stand out for their accomplishments, not their ink.
