Military Tattoos

Military tattoos – that is, tattoos that incorporate army, navy or air force logos or symbols – are an interesting sub-category of tattoo art. You may have seen military tattoos in the past without quite realizing their significance. Limiting our observations to US military tattoos, military tattoo designs commonly represent a branch of the military, such as the USN (U.S. Navy) or USAF (U.S. Air Force) or a particular military operation.

Military Tattoo Art

US Navy tattoo

There are images associated with the Navy, the Air Force, Marines, and so on. The USN can be represented by an anchor naturally enough – sometimes adorned with stars or an American flag. One USAF image is the American eagle – a natural choice given that the eagle represents flight and is also the symbol of the United States. As for the US Marines, for some reason a bulldog is a common component of the tattoo art – a variation being an eagle and globe composition.

Military tattoo art that incorporates these images is colorful, and sometimes almost cartoon-ish in appearance. The image is pleasant and positive; if anything, military tattoos of this type seem to have less ‘edge’ than many other tattoos. That is to say, they seem to represent and, later in life, commemorate a meaningful and rewarding part of life. Some would say that a military tattoo of this type glorifies the military and that’s probably true. The people likely to get this type of tattoo are those who are happy and proud to be part of the military.

Some military tattoos send a slightly different message though. These include military ‘dog tag’ designs and tattoos that commemorate a certain military operation someone has participated in. These might include the operation code name and a logo and generally speaking they have an appearance that’s somewhat less bright an optimistic. Essentially it’s the difference between the idea of the military and the harsh reality that sometimes ensues.

A Military Tattoo with and Edge

Military tattoos that commemorate a military operation often have a darker edge to them. The images are not so positive – they are as likely to feature skulls and other death imagery as symbols of America, like the eagle. Sometimes they have both. This type of military tattoo art is reminiscent of prison tattoos. The experiences we have been through – particularly the hard ones – mark us and tattoo art is one way of expressing this. Military tattoos can express a whole range of experiences and feelings about the military.

is a military drum performance. It dates from the seventeenth century when the British Army was fighting in the Low Countries (Belgium and The Netherlands). Drummers from the garrison were sent out into the towns at 21:30 hrs (9:30PM) each evening to inform the soldiers that it was time to return to barracks. The process was known as Doe den tap toe and encouraged the innkeepers to "turn off the taps", stop serving beer and send the soldiers home for the night. The drummers continued to play until the curfew at 22:00 hrs (10:00PM).

Over the years, the process became more of a show and often included the playing of the first post at 21:30 hrs and the last post at 22:00. Bands and displays were included and shows were often conducted by floodlight or searchlight. Tattoos were commonplace in the late 1800s with most military and garrison towns putting on some kind of show or entertainment during the summer months. Between the First World War and the Second World War elaborate tattoos were held in many towns, with the largest in Aldershot.

One of the best known Tattoos is held on the Esplanade in front of Edinburgh Castle each August and forms the centrepiece of the annual Edinburgh Festival. The Edinburgh Military Tattoo was first staged in 1950; it combines the traditional sounds of the bagpipes and drums with the modern aspects of the armed forces. Another well-known Tattoo was the Royal Tournament which was held annually in London from 1880 to 1999.

The indoor Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo is the largest annual tattoo in Canada, featuring in 2007 over 2000 performers from around the world, including Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway.

The largest tattoo in the United States is the Virginia International Tattoo, held every year in Norfolk, Virginia. Over 850 performers play traditional music and many international acts join every branch of the Armed Forces for a spectacular show.

Celebrities With a Military Tattoo

A list of celebrities with military tattoos (do you know more? Let me know.):

• Allen Iverson: basketball player with a soldier's head on his arm (better said, the remains of a soldier's head) and the word SOLDIER underneath. He feels his life has been a war and he's a soldier in it.