As of 2013, the US Army has instituted a new tattoo policy for it's soldiers. Previous rules and regulations, such as no racist, sexist, hateful or discriminatory tattoos or brands and no tattoos or brands on the head or front of neck remain in place, and make sense to maintain a professional appearance.
The new policy states that no tattoos can be below the knee or past the elbow. Older soldiers can keep theirs, but it prevents tattooed potential recruits from enlisting. In today's society, the number of people with tattoos and body modifications is extremely high, and this new policy will undoubtedly have a negative affect on recruiting numbers. A volunteer military turning away potentially great people simply because of the location of their tattoos is wrong (and Discriminatory!)