Members in the Navy were the greatest patrons of the art during World War II with approximately 65% of Navy personnel sporting tattoos. 6 As a consequence, the tattoos were often related to military insignia and patriotic themes. War, patriotism, and graphic body art were the typical ingredients that fostered the trend in the 20th century. Tattoos were uncommon in America until the military intervened. In fact, the word tattoo comes from the Tahitian word “ tatau.” The Polynesian influence extended to our language. ![]() 5 These decorative Polynesian images portrayed important historical events. The British Navy launched the enduring western military tradition of tattoos through exposure to the Polynesian cultures of the 18th century. The Holy Bible, at Leviticus 19:28, seems to rather definitely preclude “print any marks upon you….” 3 The Catholic Pope Hadrian I banned the practice in 787 AD. 2 Otherwise, tattoo condemnation was practiced in England. 1 In a similar fashion, Captain Cook and his British Sailors enjoyed a small but receptive audience when they introduced the novel art form to the Western culture in 1769. It seems reasonable to include tattoos adorning the bodies of 4,000-year-old Egyptian female mummies in the acceptance category. Tattoos have a history vacillating broadly over time between acceptance and condemnation. ![]() All this seems to suggest that military tattoos are a well-accepted means of self-expression. Few regretted their decisions and most all approached the tattoo experience free of any mind-altering substance. Little evidence was found to support a connection between tattoos and deployment. Respondents did not regret their tattoos and rarely acquired the body art under the influence of alcohol or drugs. ![]() The most common tattoo listed a person's name. Men received their first tattoo at an earlier age than women. One-quarter of the respondents reported only one tattoo, leaving the majority with multiple tattoos. Among the respondents, 57% acquired their tattoos before their deployment. Typical respondents were enlisted men with at least one deployment to an area of combat operations. Over the ensuing 12 month-period the researchers collected 126 questionnaires. An investigator-developed questionnaire provided the data for this study. To explore the characteristics of military service tattoos a descriptive study was conducted at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to collect information from a convenience sample.
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