Does the U.S. Military allow certain piercings? (Tongue)
HaloInfini
with some of my piercings, but I am hellbent on keeping the 14 ga. barbell
in my tongue. Will I have to remove it? I've had it for about 6 weeks &
I can take it out for short periods of time.
_____________________________
...Mental Shock...SP
_____________________________________________________________
"Toll the bell, pay the private eye, all's well, the 20th century dies..."
--db
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"Yeah, well things happen, and people die, Eddie."
Kevin Mickey
(HaloInfini) wrote:
>Hi. I am planning on enlisting in the US Air Force. I am willing to part
>with some of my piercings, but I am hellbent on keeping the 14 ga. barbell
>in my tongue. Will I have to remove it? I've had it for about 6 weeks &
>I can take it out for short periods of time.
Chances are you won't be able to wear it all when you're in bootcamp.
between physicals and Drill Instructors, I don't see how you 'd hide it.
Afterwards it depends - mostly on your boss. The AF has a reputation
(among the other services) as being the least military of the bunch, so
your odds are better than if you were joining the marines.
I know there are explicit rules against men wearing earings while in
uniform, but I'm pretty sure there aren't any about body piercing.
However, they can and will make your life miserable if they decide they
don't like it and you refuse to get rid of it.
When I was in the navy, the rule I followed was that if I couldn't see it,
it was OK (I had a guy working for me w/a pierced nip way back in 89).
This meant nip pierces were OK, but nose, ear and other rings weren't.
But I also told him that if I ever did see it I was going to remove it the
painful way (he had a few T shirts w/strategic holes). I'm sure the
command would have backed me up on that.
I think a tongue pierce is just too visible in day to day life to keep it.
Tobe Schultz
>
> Hi. I am planning on enlisting in the US Air Force. I am willing to part
> with some of my piercings, but I am hellbent on keeping the 14 ga. barbell
> in my tongue. Will I have to remove it? I've had it for about 6 weeks &
> I can take it out for short periods of time.
this is Qathi posting from Tobes machine (household o' geeks and one vetran...me)
You might have problems when you go through the line at *dental*
Stainless Studios has a tongue reatiner you might consider getting. As far as I know the military
does not have current regulations on tongue piercings...if they do they are very new.
I would reconsider enlisting before considering letting my tongue piercing go...just my patriotic
opinion. For the record I was in the Navy for 5 years...wouldn't trade it for the world, but wish
I hadn't gone at all.
Qathi
--
This be a signature dammit!
slinkster
HaloInfini <haloi...@aol.com> wrote:
>Hi. I am planning on enlisting in the US Air Force. I am willing to part
>with some of my piercings, but I am hellbent on keeping the 14 ga. barbell
>in my tongue. Will I have to remove it? I've had it for about 6 weeks &
>I can take it out for short periods of time.
I imagine it depends largely on how cool your commanding officer is, but
this weekend I heard about someone in the Air Force who was ordered to
remove the barbell from her tongue for the duration of her military
career.
Then again, I've heard of military personnel with much more than their
tongues pierced...
YMMV...
--Mark
Mama Lani
The Marine Corps is considering drafting an across-the-board written
policy regarding what types of images are considered unacceptable on
tattoos of Marine Corps enlisted recruits. Things like tattoos of
genitalia or obviously grotesque images (e.g. bullets ripping thru flesh)
will apparently be grounds for rejection, unless such images are either
removed or covered up with another image.
--
* This is Lani Teshima-Miller, posting live from Honolulu, Hawaii on LAVA *
* Ah...March means spring is arriving in Hawaii! Back up to low 80s again.*
* la...@lava.net--fun stuff; tes...@hawaii.edu--work. 1996 UA M+ Premier *
* Rec.arts.bodyart Tattoo FAQ maintainer...FDC Walkaround Mr. Potato Head *
Bill McNair
HaloInfini <haloi...@aol.com> wrote:
>Hi. I am planning on enlisting in the US Air Force. I am willing to part
>with some of my piercings, but I am hellbent on keeping the 14 ga. barbell
>in my tongue. Will I have to remove it? I've had it for about 6 weeks &
>I can take it out for short periods of time.
You'll never make it through Basic Training with a barbell in your tongue.
NEVER! The idea of military basic training is to brain wash you, to get
rid of you individuality. It's the only way they'll be able to get you to
follow orders. So the barbell would probably be ripped out of your mouth by
some crazy 20 year T.I.
Would you be able to have it after Basic Training? Maybe. If it was me, I'd
try to get away with a hematite barbell since they probably wouldn't be able
to see it. But be prepared to have some First Shirt or Squadron Commander to
tell you to take it out. BTW if the Squadron Commander tells you do to it you
better do it!
Cheers,
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill McNair
Fmr. SSgt U.S.A.F. '80-'88
mcn...@cig.mot.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kim
>This thread reminds me of something I just read recently:
>The Marine Corps is considering drafting an across-the-board written
>policy regarding what types of images are considered unacceptable on
>tattoos of Marine Corps enlisted recruits. Things like tattoos of
>genitalia or obviously grotesque images (e.g. bullets ripping thru flesh)
>will apparently be grounds for rejection, unless such images are either
>removed or covered up with another image.
When I was in the Army (I got out about 3 years ago) they had recently
changed the regs concerning tattoos. Existing ones were
"grandfathered", but after the reg went into effect you couldn't get
them where they could be seen in a military uniform. That meant none
below short sleeves (for Class A's) and also if they wanted to be
really picky about it, the PT uniform (shorts).
I don't know about the 'cruits though, but most "old" soldiers who had
quite a few tats didn't enforce this rule. They did, however, get you
out of parade and ceremonies during the summer since they couldn't be
visible in a uniform. Lots of people were really happy about that. :)
Miss Anne
: When I was in the Army (I got out about 3 years ago) they had recently
: changed the regs concerning tattoos. Existing ones were
: "grandfathered", but after the reg went into effect you couldn't get
: them where they could be seen in a military uniform. That meant none
: below short sleeves (for Class A's) and also if they wanted to be
: really picky about it, the PT uniform (shorts).
I'm curious - are there different rules in the military regarding tattoos
on men or women?
B) ANNE
*************************************************************************
M y h e a r t s t i l l s p l a s h e s i n s i d e m y c h e s t
(Paul Simon) * Anne Bevilacqua, SF, CA * Primary e-mail address:
wax...@sirius.com * Homepage: http://hamp.hampshire.edu/~jebF92
*************************************************************************
@euronet.nl Rob Webster
a tattoo magazine with your permissionIs that okee with you?
@euronet.nl Rob Webster
Conrad Winchester
|> This thread reminds me of something I just read recently:
|>
|> The Marine Corps is considering drafting an across-the-board written
|> policy regarding what types of images are considered unacceptable on
|> tattoos of Marine Corps enlisted recruits. Things like tattoos of
|> genitalia or obviously grotesque images (e.g. bullets ripping thru flesh)
|> will apparently be grounds for rejection, unless such images are either
|> removed or covered up with another image.
|>
Which is kind of odd since one of the main functions of the Marine
Corps is to send bullets ripping through flesh is it not ?
Conrad Winchester
ggl...@msu.oscs.montana.edu
>In article <4khpig$8...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, haloi...@aol.com
>
>>Hi. I am planning on enlisting in the US Air Force. I am willing to part
>>with some of my piercings, but I am hellbent on keeping the 14 ga. barbell
>>in my tongue. Will I have to remove it? I've had it for about 6 weeks &
>>I can take it out for short periods of time.
>
>between physicals and Drill Instructors, I don't see how you 'd hide it.
>
When I was in Air Force Basic last summer there was a girl in my flight
that had a pierced tongue, and she just kept quiet about it and no one said
anything. Until, of course, the day of our dental x-rays. Then the TI found
out and made her remove it. I suppose I would say that it would be tough to
get away with but it probably _can_ be done.
Cheers,
Gen
*. .. + . . * + . : . + . . + . . . *| Forgive me if I'm less than
. + STARHAWK +. + . .* . .: +. . .+. . .| you think I should be; I'm
. . +: . *. . : .. . . +. . . . +. + . *.. | more than I was yesterday.
Mark Addinall
: la...@lava.net (Mama Lani) wrote:
: >This thread reminds me of something I just read recently:
: >The Marine Corps is considering drafting an across-the-board written
: >policy regarding what types of images are considered unacceptable on
: out of parade and ceremonies during the summer since they couldn't be
: visible in a uniform. Lots of people were really happy about that. :)
Geez, I wish our Army had that attitude ;)
Mark.
Caro
> In article <4khpig$8...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>,
> HaloInfini <haloi...@aol.com> wrote:
> >Hi. I am planning on enlisting in the US Air Force. I am willing to part
> >with some of my piercings, but I am hellbent on keeping the 14 ga. barbell
> >in my tongue. Will I have to remove it? I've had it for about 6 weeks &
> >I can take it out for short periods of time.
>
>
> Then again, I've heard of military personnel with much more than their
> tongues pierced...
My ex was in the Navy, and anyone who had anything pierced with the
exception of an earring, was ordered to remove it.
To the original poster:
Thing is, when you enlist in the Military, you need to realize you're
giving up a large part of your personal freedom. Technically, the
freedoms still exist, but practically, they do not. You have to cut your
hair as they want, wear what they want, etc. There are restrictions on
your speech and where you can go.
Re-thinking enlisting would be your best bet. Just going by the wording
in the original post, you're quite attached to your personal freedom.
When you enlist, you're giving that up. It won't end for the duration of
your enlistment. If you've got the "wrong" attitude, you're in for a
miserable 2(4,6) years.
caro
khs
wrote:
>In article <4khpig$8...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, haloi...@aol.com
>(HaloInfini) wrote:
>
>
>I think a tongue pierce is just too visible in day to day life to keep it.
I'm active USAF and have to agree with the above; the general rule is
not seen in uniform. If you work behind the scenes (flightline night
shift, avionics, etc. and the boss is ok with it), you may be able to
wear it most of the time. If doing briefings, meeting award boards or
doing anything remotely visible, you probably won't stand much of a
chance of being able to wear it in uniform.
At any rate; be prepared to be without it a lot.
khs
REBELNITE
Most of the military people that I know say that they are told either to
remove all visible piercings when in uniform including all but one set of
earrings on females and no earrings on males...however out of uniform,
they are allowed all jewelry.
Cat
Bill McNair
>in the original post, you're quite attached to your personal freedom.
>When you enlist, you're giving that up. It won't end for the duration of
>your enlistment. If you've got the "wrong" attitude, you're in for a
>miserable 2(4,6) years.
Actually I don't think that you'd be stuck in the military for a miserable
2(4,6) years. Not taking the jewelry out would get you discarged for not
following a direct order or a lawful order, and possibly some time in Kansas.
Bill
Kirsch
mcn...@rtsg.mot.com (Bill McNair) writes:
[snip]
> Not taking the jewelry out would get you discarged for not
> following a direct order or a lawful order, and possibly
> some time in Kansas.
And people thought that caning was cruel and unusual
punishment.
Kirsch
Mama Lani
Not necessarily. Depends on which branch, which base/post, what rank you
are, and whether it's a Tuesday with 3/4 moon. I've seen lots of
servicemen with earrings OFF BASE. But I've also heard of earrings
getting yanked off of enlisted men wearing civvies on post.
The main thing (as others have said) is that part of the whole process of
enlisting is that you lose your individuality. That is part of your
whole brain washing^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h training process. You go in
a grasshopper, you come out a worker ant, okay? Ever wonder why jarheads
(no offense!) all have flat tops and square jaws? During boot camp, they
pull them upside down and stick their heads in a mold. You get the picture.
Ever see _A Few Good Men_ with Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson? To be a
good soldier, you have to become a cog in a wheel.
Granted, Air Force will be a lot more civil about it than say, the USMC
or even Army Infantry. But it's still US military and it's still boot
camp, and you'll still be enlisted (starting with no stripes).
You think people complain about work-environment discrimination? Keep in
mind you will not have the same set of rights as a civilian.
--Lani (who lives in Hawaii where the US military is the second biggest
industry to tourism, and whose former-civilian, bearded, long-haired,
zoology-major husband went thru Navy boot as an enlisted, decided he
didn't like being a peon, so went through ROTC and is now an Army
Infantry 2nd LT and will be starting Ranger School in early May--and will
be shaving his hair off next week).
--
* This is Lani Teshima-Miller, posting live from Honolulu, Hawaii on LAVA *
* Tax day has come and gone--do you know where YOUR tax dollars went? *
Qathi
>
> (snip)
>
> Most of the military people that I know say that they are told either to
> remove all visible piercings when in uniform including all but one set of
> earrings on females and no earrings on males...however out of uniform,
> they are allowed all jewelry.
>
Out of uniform and OFF BASE.
-- Qathi
REBELNITE
writes:
>REBELNITE <rebe...@aol.com> wrote:
>>Most of the military people that I know say that they are told either to
>>remove all visible piercings when in uniform including all but one set
of
>>earrings on females and no earrings on males...however out of uniform,
>>they are allowed all jewelry.
>
>Not necessarily. Depends on which branch, which base/post, what rank you
>are, and whether it's a Tuesday with 3/4 moon. I've seen lots of
>servicemen with earrings OFF BASE. But I've also heard of earrings
>getting yanked off of enlisted men wearing civvies on post.
I realized that after I posted the message. I was posting about what I
knew of Navy personal at certain bases in Virginia. I know that when my
brother was in the Army, he was allowed no piercings at all. I should
really learn not to post at three in the morning while half dazed =()
Catherine
Qathi
I was never ordered to remove any jewelry, I wore my nose jewelry (out of uniforn/off duty) all the time, as
well as the mass of ear jewelry I can accomidate. I used to take all my body jewelry out when I went through
medical, mostly because I didn't want a lecture from the doctors, but eventually my jewelry gauges got to be
too big to take out without the use off tools, and we went rounds about ekg equipment working and all that(we
have discussed this before) but I never, never HAD to remove anything.
Please keep in mind here that I was in the Navy for 5 years and pushed the envelope on
piercing/tattoo/hair regulations daily, I was very nearly kicked out for having certain tattoos...I am
comfortable, and confident with my knowledge on the topic of tattoos/piercings and their respective
regulations in the Navy. As it continues to come up, I will continue to offer support to military personell
that are experiencing difficulties. The higher enlisted folks like to think they know whats going on, when
really they don't. I will never suggest that a service member push any buttons like I did with the brass
without having the proper regs to back themselves up.
To the origional poster (I've already responded through private e-mail) Please consider your enlistment
pangs carefully. The military can be a good thing as well as a bad thing. Your recruiter is NOT (I repete IS
NOT) going to tell you the truth, she/he just wants your enlistment.
--Qathi
Mama Lani
>[snip]
>> Not taking the jewelry out would get you discarged for not following a
>> direct order or a lawful order, and possibly some time in Kansas.
>
>And people thought that caning was cruel and unusual punishment.
Not here!!! (Oh waitaminute--I meant alt.sex.bondage).
Mama Lani
>> Most of the military people that I know say that they are told either to
>> remove all visible piercings when in uniform including all but one set of
>> earrings on females and no earrings on males...however out of uniform,
>> they are allowed all jewelry.
>
Heh heh heh--but we all know that many military personnel are never
really "out of uniform" because they wear their uniforms everywhere they
go. Jeans, t-shirt, and very very short haircut with a lawn-mower top. :>
Mama Lani
> To the origional poster (I've already responded through private
>e-mail) Please consider your enlistment pangs carefully. The military can
>be a good thing as well as a bad thing. Your recruiter is NOT (I repete IS
>NOT) going to tell you the truth, she/he just wants your enlistment.
This reminds me of a great Saturday Night Live sketch from the good old
days.
Bill Murray's nightclub lounge singer, I believe, was doing a
USO-esque tour around Greenland. He was trying to rap with the audience,
and he asked Garrett Morris's character why he was in an Army post in
BFE Greenland, and it went something like...
Morris: "Well you see, my recruiter told me that I could go anywhere in
the world I wanted to go if I joined the Army and filled out
this form."
Murray: "So you chose Greenland."
Morris: "No. They had this thing that said if you filled out your form
even a tiny bit wrong, then THEY got to send you whereever
they wanted to send you."
James Sanderson
>>(HaloInfini) wrote:
>>
>>
>>I think a tongue pierce is just too visible in day to day life to keep it.
I'm a civilian working for the US Navy and spend a fair amount of time
working on US Naval ships. They are quite strict about appearance especially
in regards to piercings. Earrings are absolutely not allowed on the
ship although they are tolerated when off the ship in civilian clothes.
I was surprised one day while boarding a ship when I noticed a glint
of silver on the tongue of the sailor who was standing guard. I always
thought a tongue pierce would be too noticeable, and in fact I did notice
it, although my eye is sort of trained to notice piercings and tattoos.
It appears that this guy was getting away with it, but I don't know
how long he had it for. I think if an officer noticed it and actually
knew what it was he would be forced to remove it.
Mama Lani
[Noticing a sailor on a ship with a tongue piercing...]
>It appears that this guy was getting away with it, but I don't know
>how long he had it for. I think if an officer noticed it and actually
>knew what it was he would be forced to remove it.
Officer? Maybe--but I have visions of the DRILL SERGEANT yanking it off!!!
Steven Mutch
>
> >REBELNITE wrote:
> >> Most of the military people that I know say that they are told either to
> >> remove all visible piercings when in uniform including all but one set of
> >> earrings on females and no earrings on males...however out of uniform,
> >> they are allowed all jewelry.
> >
> In article <317C0B...@halcyon.com>, Qathi <tsch...@halcyon.com> wrote:
> >Out of uniform and OFF BASE.
>
> Heh heh heh--but we all know that many military personnel are never
> really "out of uniform" because they wear their uniforms everywhere they
> go. Jeans, t-shirt, and very very short haircut with a lawn-mower top. :>
>
And for you Qathi; How does one get "off Base" in Guam? It is such a small island that you
would have to go to an offshore island to get "off Base" -Australia?
Steve
--
+==+ "I think I think, therefore perhaps I am" +==+
A postmodernist Descartes ----
Marlene Goldsmith M.L.C.
Mama Lani
>> Heh heh heh--but we all know that many military personnel are never
>> really "out of uniform" because they wear their uniforms everywhere they
>> go. Jeans, t-shirt, and very very short haircut with a lawn-mower top. :>
>>
>I agree ! Military S.O.'s also look the same !
Hey--up yours, Steven. Careful what you say; you're liable to insult
someone. Ask anyone around this here parts if I look like a military
officer's wife. Phbbbtttttt. :p
Bill McNair
>[Noticing a sailor on a ship with a tongue piercing...]
>>It appears that this guy was getting away with it, but I don't know
>>how long he had it for. I think if an officer noticed it and actually
>>knew what it was he would be forced to remove it.
>
>Officer? Maybe--but I have visions of the DRILL SERGEANT yanking it off!!!
I know what my Training Instructor in the Air Force would have done. Wouldn't
have been a pleasant sight either!
Actually, on a more serious note. In the U.S. Military the D.I. or T.I. can't
do anything to hurt you so in all likely hood he/she wouldn't yanj it off.
Instead they would use some major psychological warefare to get you to remove
it before sending you up to the First Sargeant.
You could probably get away with it if you used a hematite barbell except
for the regular dental visits. Guess you'd have to pay for those yourself.
--
Bill McNair
mcn...@cig.mot.com (Work)
mcn...@mcs.net (Fun)
Tobe
Steven Mutch wrote:
[snip]
> And for you Qathi; How does one get "off Base" in Guam? It is such a small island that you
> would have to go to an offshore island to get "off Base" -Australia?
> Steve
You're thinking of the other place I was stationed...Adak AK.
Guam has villages, The bases (there are many) are all pretty small. Guam is pretty big really ; ) it's 35
miles long and like 8 miles wide at the widest point, so there is lots of room to get off base. BTW the
civilians have to live somewhere.