Entry #36: March 30, 2006
Camp Buehring, Kuwait (Somewhere near the Iraq border)
I’m gonna tell y’all a secret. It’s something most of my buddies know, my family knows, many people have done the same thing, but I feel mine is different.
I have three tattoos. Now don’t be quick to judge. I know they’ve become quite the fashion statement among young people, but my tattoos don’t include a tribal symbol curling around my bicep, a bloody dagger or half-naked lady I can make dance on my forearm, or even a butterfly or flower in the small of my back (if I had that, tattoos should be the least of your worries). I have three tattoos that each signify an important aspect of who I am, what I am, and what I believe.
Faith, family, and luck. A cross, a crest, and a shamrock. That’s what I have. My first tattoo was a Celtic cross I got between my shoulder blades the summer after my freshman year in college. I regret it for only one reason. It made my momma cry. But I believe if she understood more about why I got it, she wouldn’t have shed a tear. A cross, the symbol of Christianity. I bear it proudly on my back. It’s a permanent reminder that Christ carried His cross upon His back to Calvary for my sins. I’m thankful my cross isn’t nearly as heavy as His. I also have the Long family crest adorning the top of my right arm (for you med students, it’s on my deltoid muscle). I’m proud to be a Long and I wear my family emblem on my arm. It’s a symbol of who I am and where I came from. Matching my family crest on my left arm is a shamrock interwoven with a Celtic design. My good luck charm. I never leave home without it. In addition, it’s a subtle nod to my Mom’s side, her maiden name being O’Quinn (which is about as Irish as you can get without being born in Dublin and having a pint of Guiness for breakfast).
The body is a temple. Many people say tattoos deface that temple. I disagree. I’m simply decorating mine up a bit. Is a church bare? Is it free of crosses, pictures of families, and other works of art?
Faith, family, and luck. My triumvirate of principles. With those three, I can make it in this lifetime. Just watch and see. And so the Soldier’s life continues…
“A genuine tattoo.... tells a story. I like stories and tattoos, no matter how well done, and if they don't tell a story that involves you emotionally, then they're just there for decoration, then they're not a valid tattoo. There has to be some emotional appeal or they're not, to my way of thinking, a real tattoo. It tells people what you are and what you believe in, so there's no mistakes.”