Military Policy On Tattoos

No more split decisions for sailors — because in the Navy, forked tongues are out. As are other forms of self-mutilation, sexually explicit tattoos, some forms of body piercing, and another trend gaining popularity called branding or scarification, which involves the application of a hot object or cuts made to the skin to create a permanent mark, according to a naval administration message. “Navy grooming and personal appearance policy is intended to ensure that Navy personnel set and maintain the highest standards of professional appearance in uniform,” reads a portion of Naval administration message 021/03. “Due to the increasing popularity of body art and ornamentation, Navy policy is being revised to provide clearly defined guidance.” The new policy bans “tattoos/body art/brands that are excessive, obscene, sexually explicit or advocate or symbolize sex, gender, racial, religious, ethnic or national origin discrimination,” the policy reads. Also prohibited are symbols denoting any gang affiliation, supremacist or extremist groups, or drug use. The changes won’t keep any more people out of the Navy than in past years because recruiters already were dismissing those with unacceptable body art, said Lt. Bill Davis, a spokesman for the Navy Recruiting Command in Millington, Tenn. “We’ve been using these as defining measures of disqualifying physical conditions,” Lt. Davis said. The message clears up for uniformed personnel the guidelines recruiters have been using, he said. “We needed something to help clarify what we meant because it’s so prevalent,” Lt. Davis said. “We had to define body mutilation as a forked tongue, for example, and we needed to have it this detailed.” Some servicemembers have asked for exemptions based on religious practices. Those requests generally are approved by commanders, but only when the exemptions do not adversely effect military readiness, unit cohesion, standards or discipline, according to a Defense Department directive. There are options for servicemembers who disagree with commanders’ decisions when they deem a certain tattoo or scarification practice is not supported by a military-recognized religion. The options include re-assignment, reclassification or separation.

The Navy isn’t the only service to tighten rules on body art.
The Marine Corps uses naval administration messages as guidelines to form some of its own regulations. The Corps regulations apply to both on- and off-duty Marines, and stipulates that males will not wear earrings and neither sex is permitted “eccentricities,” said spokesman Capt. Jeff Landis, citing a few examples. When in civilian clothes, “Marines will ensure that their dress and personal appearance are conservative and commensurate with the high standings traditionally associated with the Marine Corps,” the regulation reads. Tattoos or brands on the neck and head are prohibited and “attaching, affixing, or displaying objects, articles, jewelry or ornamentation to or through their skin, tongue or any other body part” is banned in the Corps. In general, clothing cannot be used to cover unauthorized tattoos or brands. Removing tattoos will be done at the servicemember’s expense. Members failing to comply are subject to Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and face the maximum penalty of a dishonorable discharge or dismissal, two years’ confinement, total forfeiture of pay and allowances and a reduction to the lowest pay grade. The military does not have a specific category to log voluntary or involuntary discharges based on failure to remove or modify tattoos and body art, and therefore has no way of tracking it, a Pentagon spokeswoman, Maj. Sandra Troeber, said. However, there are cases that have been grandfathered. In the Air Force, for example, members with existing tattoos that violate the regulation can keep them, if they are not excessive or offensive, so long as they can be covered with the uniform.

Existing Army and Air Force regulations are similar and ban tattoos or brands visible in the dress uniforms, tattoos and body art that are extremist, indecent, sexist or racist, regardless of body location and whether in or out of uniform.

The Air Force
The Air Force defines “excessive” as tattoos or brands that exceed one-fourth of the exposed body part or those above the collarbone and readily visible when wearing an open collar uniform. Senior Airman Shannon Mc-Kean, stationed at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., got his Viking warrior tattoo on the side of his neck before he enlisted in the service in 1999 — which also means before the 2001 regulation banning it. “I was told to make sure it was not visible while in uniform — any uniform other than the P.T. uniform,” said McKean, 26. He understands the need for the detailed regulations and thinks some ornamentation, specifically a forked tongue, “is a bit extreme.” “As long as it lends itself to a professional image and does not detract from the uniform, I don’t have a problem with it,” he said.

The Army
In the Army, decorations not deemed extremist, indecent, sexist or racist, but are visible in dress uniforms, are authorized for soldiers who enlisted before the policy started. A tattoo on a woman’s calf or ankle is permissible, so long as it’s in good taste, Army officials have said. Recruiting hasn’t suffered because of the ban, said Capt. Tom Alexander Jr. “We allow an applicant to enlist with small, innocuous tattoos as we have in the past,” he said, adding, however, that Army leaders are reviewing the policy. “We have denied entry to applicants who cannot meet the tattoo requirement, but with very minimal impact. Those we denied were gross violations of the regulation or the tattoo led us to the fact that the applicant was a member of a racist or extremist organization. All tattoos that are questionable must have a battalion commander’s review.”

Happy Birthday Airman Sean

Happy Birthday Airman SeanFrom your proud Father

Uncle Sam Wants You – Even If You’re 42

The Defense Department quietly asked Congress on Monday to raise the maximum age for military recruits to 42 for all branches of the service. Under current law, the maximum age to enlist in the active components is 35, while people up to age 39 may enlist in the reserves. By practice, the accepted age for recruits is 27 for the Air Force, 28 for the Marine Corps and 34 for the Navy and Army, although the Army Reserve and Navy Reserve sometimes take people up to age 39 in some specialties. The Pentagon’s request to raise the maximum recruit age to 42 is part of what defense officials are calling a package of “urgent wartime support initiatives” sent to Congress Monday night prior to a Tuesday hearing of the House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee. At that hearing, David S.C. Chu, under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said he felt the military’s recent problems with recruiting were improving, but that additional incentives would help. Chu mentioned the age change in passing during the hearing but gave no other details, such as whether any of the services were seriously considering recruiting 42-year-olds. Most of the initiatives in the package were previously requested by the Bush administration as part of the 2006 defense budget, which is pending before Congress.They include raising the maximum re-enlistment bonus to $90,000; maximum hardship duty pay to $750 a month; special pay and incentive bonuses for nuclear qualified officers to $30,000; assignment incentive pay to $3,000; and increasing accession and affiliation bonuses for reservists. The request, not yet approved by the White House, also asks lawmakers to revise some benefits proposals already before Congress. For example, the Bush administration originally asked Congress to increase enlistment bonuses to $30,000, but the Pentagon now wants bonuses of up to $40,000. The administration also asked for an Army-only test of a $1,000 referral bonus that would be paid to current soldiers if they get someone to enter the Army and make it through basic and advanced training. Now, the Pentagon wants that payment to be $2,500. The request also includes a new Army initiative that officials are calling the Army Home Ownership program. It would set aside money for new recruits that could be used to buy a home at the end of an enlistment, an idea that Army officials believe will help convince parents and other “adult influencers” of service-age youths about the benefits of joining the military.Lawmakers are sympathetic to the need to do more. Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y., said he is willing to look at new pay-and-benefits initiatives, although he personally believes that what the Pentagon needs is an increase in personnel to cut the workload on active and reserve service member. Rep. Vic Snyder of Arkansas, the subcommittee’s ranking Democrat, also vowed to help. “Recruitment is a challenge right now,” Snyder said. “Both the military and Congress are working on solutions, but I expect these challenges will be with us for some time. Military service is honorable and can be a real growing opportunity for a young man or woman.”

US Navy Planing To Increase Counter-Insurgency Role

The US Navy is planning to create an expeditionary Sailor battalion, three riverine squadrons, a civil affairs battalion and additional intelligence units. The aim is to increase the navy's relevance in the US fight against Islamist extremism, while relieving the burden that the US Marine Corps (USMC) and Army are bearing in Iraq and Afghanistan. The riverine squadrons would consist of about 220 Sailors and 20 boats, though the precise numbers are still under consideration. The official said that Iraqi insurgents are using the rivers to transport supplies and people and that the navy needs a better means of patrolling those areas. The USMC has a riverine company, but it is being phased out this year. The navy is looking at the Special Operations Craft - riverine boats in use now by US Navy SEAL commando teams, the USMC Riverine Assault Craft or possibly another boat. The service would like to stand up one active duty squadron by the middle of 2006 and two reserve squadrons in the two years after that.

Osprey Will Join Fleet In 2007

The Marine Corps hopes to start replacing its fleet of Vietnam-era Helicopters with the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft by 2007, the Marines' top air commander said Wednesday. The announcement came about a month after the $71 million aircraft successfully completed a safety evaluation ordered in the wake of two crashes that killed 23 Marines in 2000. The crashes led to a 17-month suspension of the Osprey program, as well as an investigation that resulted in changes in the design of the unique aircraft. Lt. Gen. Michael Hough, chief of Marine Corps Aviation, acknowledged the Osprey - which takes off like a helicopter but flies like an airplane - developed a bad reputation after the crashes. But, he insisted, "This is a safe airplane." "It will be the war machine we want it to be," Hough said. And even though Congress has yet to approve the $50.5 billion program, The Corps is already training pilots and ground crews. "The process of fielding (the Osprey) has already begun," said Col. Craig Olson, the joint program project manager from the Air Force. The cost of the aircraft has risen from an original estimate of about $40 million each, but officials say the price should drop to about $58 million if they reach full production of about 48 units a year. The Marine Corps wants 360 of the aircraft, while the Air Force wants 50 for its special operations troops. The Navy also is considering the aircraft. The Marine Corps took several dozen journalists on rides along the New River and the Atlantic coast bordering Marine Installations. The flights included maneuvers aimed at showing off the aircraft's ability to take off quickly, achieve high speeds and bank sharply in flight. This air base, which shares part of the New River shoreline with Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, has 25 Ospreys that are under the command of a special test and evaluation squadron that reports to a Navy Admiral. During the final testing, eight Ospreys were tested at sea level and at landing zones at 10,000-foot altitudes and in conditions simulating the fine desert sand of Iraq, said Col. Glenn Walters, commander of VMX-22, the test squadron. The Osprey can carry more troops - and for a longer distance at a higher speed - than the CH-46 helicopter it is designed to replace, Walters said. In addition, the Osprey requires less maintenance time for each hour of flight. Evaluation flights have taught the squadron's pilots that by tilting the engines slightly, they can avoid the kind of turbulence that destroyed lift and contributed to a crash, Olson said. The key to acceptance of the Osprey by Congress and critics, though, is to stop comparing it to helicopters, Hough said. "This is not a helicopter," Hough said.

Recruiting and Retention Statistics

The Department of Defense has announced its recruiting and retention statistics by the active and reserve components for the month of June.
Active duty recruiting. The Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force met or exceeded their recruiting goals in June.

The Navy’s recruiting goal was 4,529, and it enlisted 4,566 (101 percent).

The Marine Corps’ goal was 4,051, and it recruited 4,156 (103 percent).

The Air Force goal was 2,370, and it recruited 2,400 (101 percent).

The Army's goal was 5,650, and it recruited 6,157 (109 percent).

Active duty retention. All services met or exceeded their overall retention goals for June and are projected to meet their retention goals for the current fiscal year.

Reserve forces recruiting. Four of the six reserve components, the Army Reserve, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve met or exceeded their June recruiting goals.

Army National Guard: Goal: 5,032 Recruited: 4,337 (86 percent)
Army Reserves: Goal: 3,610 Recruited: 3,651 (101 percent)
Air National Guard: Goal: 753 Recruited: 798 (106 percent)
Air Force Reserves: Goal: 768 Recruited: 773 (101 percent)
Navy Reserves: Goal: 1,336 Recruited: 1,233 (92 percent)
Marine Corps Reserves: Goal: 1,194 Recruited: 1,196
Reserve forces retention. For June, Army National Guard retention was 105.9 percent of the cumulative goal of 23,647, and Air National Guard retention was 110 percent of its cumulative goal of 8,860. Losses in all reserve components in May were lower than projected, and that trend is expected to continue into June.

Army Re-Upping on Track

Even though the Army appears likely to miss its goal of recruiting 80,000 new soldiers this year, it's ahead of the pace needed to reach its goal of convincing 64,162 soldiers to re-enlist.Sgt. Jonathan Jacobs joined the Army to get away from his part-time jobs as a telemarketer and a cargo handler. He ended up in Iraq, but that didn't stop the 24-year-old 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper from signing up in March for another hitch, even though that could mean another tour in the Middle East. He has a newborn son and says the Army offers him a career as a communication specialist and his family a secure future. At a time when the Iraq war has made it tougher for the Army to recruit new members of its all-volunteer force, there's no hesitation to re-enlist among soldiers like Jacobs and other members of the Army's elite airborne units. "The Army gives you a chance to see life," said Jacobs, of Bay Shore, N.Y. "You're secure. You have food. You have shelter. You have a paycheck." Even though the Army appears likely to miss its goal of recruiting 80,000 new soldiers this year, it's ahead of the pace needed to reach its goal of convincing 64,162 soldiers, from privates to top sergeants, to re-enlist by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. Through the end of May, 45,333 soldiers had re-enlisted, said Lt. Col. Pamela Hart, an Army spokeswoman at the Pentagon.That's 70 percent of the Army's full-year goal. Nearly 11,000 soldiers from the elite 18th Airborne Corps, which includes four of the Army's 10 active divisions, have "re-upped" this year. That's about 86 percent of the corps' full-year goal, said the corps commander, Maj. Gen. Virgil Packett. "The 18th Airborne Corps is carrying the Army right now in retention," Packett said. And leading the corps is the 82nd Airborne, which has reached 97 percent of its annual goal, even though it has deployed regularly to Iraq and Afghanistan.The 82nd's paratroopers are "a special cut of American society," Packett said. "It takes a cut of a different person to jump out of an airplane." Staff Sgt. Daniel Metzdorf decided to re-enlist even though a roadside bomb blew off part of his right leg last year while he was in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne. "It's my life," said Metzdorf, 28, of Altamonte Springs, Fla., who uses an artificial leg and still must requalify as a paratrooper to remain with the division. "It's where I need to be." Metzdorf was in the crowd last week when President Bush spoke at Fort Bragg, refusing to set a specific timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. "I thank those of you who have re-enlisted in an hour when your country needs you," Bush told the audience of 700 soldiers and airmen. Many of the military personnel said they were glad Bush made that point. The president's comments "made me proud of what I am doing," said Pfc. Reese Combs, a 19-year-old paratrooper from Tampa, Fla. "It keeps me motivated." To be sure, there are soldiers who choose not to re-enlist.Some even try to get out of their original service commitments, said Chuck Fager, director of Quaker House in nearby Fayetteville, whose organization counsels unhappy members of the military. Before the Iraq war started in March 2003, Quaker House's record for calls in a year was 3,128 in 2001. It took nearly 6,000 calls last year. "People not wanting to go to Iraq was a very common concern," Fager said. That attitude isn't shared by many of the paratroopers of Fort Bragg, even among those who have not yet served in the Middle East. Spc. Daniel Torres, 28, plans to re-enlist later this year, calling life in the Army more stable that when he worked all hours as a materials handler for a biopharmaceutical firm. "I know I want to re-enlist," said Torres, a married father of two from East Brunswick, N.J. "It's a better lifestyle. I'm comfortable."

Army Set For Independence Day Celebrations

Army installations worldwide have scheduled activities from fireworks to freedom fests and patriotic salutes to celebrate the nation’s birthday this weekend. Soldiers in Baghdad will compete in a number of sports activities July 4 on the grounds of Saddam Hussein’s former palace near the embassy. Teams will battle each other in horseshoes, a tug of war contest, water balloon toss, pool volleyball and a basketball free throw competition in the palace pool. Independence Day celebrations are also planned in Afghanistan where the Indiana National Guard’s 76th Infantry Brigade will celebrate the holiday with a 5K run, softball and horseshoe tournaments, barbeque cookout and Tatar Tot eating contest at Camp Phoenix, near Kabul. The camp will also hold a casino night in which the proceeds will go toward a local orphanage. Army installations have been asked to take part in a national bell-ringing at 2 p.m. July 4 to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence 229 years ago. The Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution will host the traditional “Let Freedom Ring” observance in Philadelphia, as four young descendants of the declaration’s signers will ring the historic Liberty Bell 13 times, in honor of the 13 original U.S. colonies. Soldiers at Fort Hood will partake in their annual Freedom Fest, which will include 5K and 10K runs, carnival rides at Hood Stadium and live performances by the 4th Infantry Division’s show and Iron Horse bands. The post will also host a parachute club demonstration jump and a fireworks show to conclude the day-long celebration. Fireworks displays are also set to take place at Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Belvoir, Va.; and Fort Knox, Ky., to name just a few of the installations. Fort Myer, Va., will fire a 50-gun salute at noon, to reverberate across the nation’s capital. Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thanked the men and women of the military for their service to the nation in a July 4th message. “Every 4th of July we celebrate the values that bind us together as Americans and make our nation great—freedom, tolerance, and justice,” Myers said. “Whether you are serving in CONUS, Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere, the Joint Chiefs and I thank you for your selfless service to America.” While visiting Fort Bragg, N.C., for a nationally televised address June 28, President Bush thanked the Soldiers and other service men and women serving throughout the world, and asked that the nation honor them during the national holiday. “This Fourth of July,” Bush told the public, “I ask you to find a way to thank the men and women defending our freedom by flying the flag, sending a letter to our troops in the field, or helping the military family down the street.” The president said that civilians can learn ways to support troops during the 4th of July by visiting the Department of Defense’s “America Supports You” Web site at www.americasupportsyou.mil. Support messages can be sent to the troops via the Web site. “You can go there to learn about private efforts in your own community,” Bush said. “At this time when we celebrate our freedom, let us stand with the men and women who defend us all.”

Veteran Wears Fake Medal Of Honor In Photo

A World War II Navy veteran photographed wearing a Medal of Honor at a Memorial Day event could face federal charges because it was a fake that he bought for $500, authorities say. William Kovick, 76, acknowledged he bought the medal and four other military honors, and he surrendered them last week. FBI investigators say Kovick acknowledged that he bought the Medal of Honor in 1977 for $500. He also said that he mail-ordered a Navy Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals and wore them along with the Medal of Honor. Ordering and owning unearned medals is legal, but wearing or selling them is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. "The intent of the federal law ... is to maintain the integrity of all the military awards and medals," said FBI Agent Thomas Cottone Jr. "People in our military _ particularly our veterans _ pay such a high price. Some pay with their lives." The Justice Department will decide whether to bring charges. Kovick told reporters that he served in the Navy in 1944-46 and 1950-53. He said the only medals he earned were an Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal from World War II and a United Nations Korean Medal from the Korean War. Kovick came under investigation after his photo appeared on the newspaper's front page on May 31, showing him wearing the Medal of Honor at a Memorial Day event. Vietnam veteran Doug Sterner of Pueblo, Colo. who operates the Web site a Web site dedicated to Medal of Honor recipients, contacted Cottone at the FBI's New Jersey office. In 1996, Cottone led an investigation that discovered that a Defense Department supplier, Lordship Industries of Hauppauge, N.Y., made and sold hundreds of fake Medals of Honor. The company pleaded guilty to illegally selling 300 of them and paid a $80,000 fine. On Thursday, FBI Agent Steve Flattery from the bureau's Bay City office and Caseville police Chief Jamie Learman knocked on Kovick's door and asked to see the Medal of Honor. "I spoke with the gentleman and confronted him about the issue. I showed him the photograph, and explained it was illegal to wear a Medal of Honor you did not earn," Flattery said. "I asked for the contraband items, and he gave them to me." There are 122 living Medal of Honor recipients. Cottone said most recipients get them posthumously. It is given "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in actual combat against an armed enemy force." Cottone said people pretend to be Medal of Honor winners for a variety of reasons, both financial and personal. "They all know what they're doing," he told reporters. "There should be absolutely no sympathy for these guys."