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Tattoos in the military


knd643
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  • 3 weeks later...

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Here is a photo of US Navy Capt. "Papa Topside" George Foote Bond, MD (1953-1978) receiving his Legion of Merit from (I think) Gen. Westmoreland. He later earned two gold stars to add to that.

Bond became recognized for his pioneering work in decompression science involving Project Genesis and SEALAB during the 1950s and 60s.

Note his tattoo on right forearm.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
world war I nerd

New York National Guardsmen at mess, circa 1912 to 1916.

 

The second soldier from the front on the right-hand side has an eagle and American flag tattooed on the inside of his left forearm.

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Photo I have, transferred from the original negative; Air Corps wings.

 

Photo taken circa November/December 1941 at Camp Croft.

 

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Neat photos and the majority are Navy guys, not that it's a bad thing but it seems that more Navy men got tattoo's then the other services at that time. Now a days it's everyone. The guy with all the names, that must have hurt.

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  • 3 months later...

Pretty slick crossing the equator tattoo.

 

"USS Alaska (CB-1) signalmen taking a visual message on the signal bridge, circa February 1945. Signalman Third Class Teddy Chalupski is writing the message while Seaman Third Class Floyd H. Scharp reads it with the telescope."

 

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Thought this was really cool. Not a tattoo but tattoo equipment a sailor used to tattoo other sailors.

 

"Tattoo kit formerly belonging to Frank Osberry (Asberry) Rogers. Note wooden needles, ink, and “flash art” (motif samples). Rogers was born 22 January 1885, enlisted in Navy on 4 May 1901, and served until 21 January 1906 aboard USS Pensacola (receiving ship), USS Alert (steam launch), USS Independence (receiving ship), and USS Marblehead (Cruiser No. 11). After his service, Rogers worked as a boilermaker and steeplejack in Pueblo, Colorado. He died 16 January 1940. While in the Navy, he ran a side business tattooing fellow sailors, purportedly specializing in dragons and hearts. From the collection of Puget Sound Navy Museum; photo courtesy of Megan Churchwell.?

 

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USS Villalobos (Gunboat No. 42) crewmen posing with axe, bugle, and drinking water tap (“scuttlebutt”), circa 1907–1908. Note tattoos (butterfly and crucifix) on Sailor in center. From 1903 until 1928, Villalobos served on the Navy’s China station, a fertile ground for tattoos, with the Chinese dragon motif a particular symbol of service with the Asiatic Fleet

 

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Some of the tattoos of C. A. Lushbaugh. Lushbaugh served in the Navy in the 1920s, with at least one tour on board USS Arizona (BB-39). Note the rendition of braided rope around Lushbaugh’s left wrist indicating that he is a deck seaman. The unidentifiable tattoo on his right forearm may also be Navy-specific; the large crucifix on his back with unknown initials is a personal sign of faith or talisman

 

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Shipfitter Second Class Steven J Kusial, working on a Seabee road construction crew on Guam, 1944. Kusial’s tattoos include a girl wearing a sombrero, possibly symbolizing pre-war U.S. West Coast naval service (left upper arm); and a design with two swallows (right upper arm), indicating at least 10,000 nautical miles underway

 

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Front view of the new Lambertson Respiratory Unit during demonstrations of UDT equipment at a National Research Council Symposium, Coronado, California, 17 December 1951. Photographed at the Naval Amphibious Base. Note this man's diver tattoo, which is a rendition of the Navy qualification insignia in use at the time. Specific qualification badges or rating insignia remain popular tattoo motifs today

 

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USS Little Rock (CLG-4—flagship of the U.S. Sixth Fleet) crewman signaling during underway refueling operations with USS Seattle (AOE-3) in the Mediterranean at the time of the October 1973 Middle East War. Note this Sailor's “Death Before Dishonor” tattoo.

 

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Riflemen with "A" Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Calvary, 1st Brigade cool off in a stream during a pause in fighting. Operation Irving, October 1966.

 

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