Veterans Day 2026

Military tattoos carry the memory of service, sacrifice, and fallen comrades

Nov. 11, 2026

Military tattoos can record a unit, honor fallen comrades or mark a sailor’s journey. For Veterans Day 2026, here are 10 examples, with photographs and accounts from military and museum archives.

Marine Michael Burtnick displays a Sept. 11 firefighter memorial tattoo across his upper back — Lance Cpl. Michael Burtnick’s tribute to New York City firefighters killed on Sept. 11, 2001. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jeffrey A. Cosola, Sept. 16, 2006.

1. A Marine’s Sept. 11 tribute

A 2006 Marine Corps photograph shows Lance Cpl. Michael Burtnick’s tribute to New York City firefighters killed on Sept. 11, 2001. Its caption records his service supporting air operations over Afghanistan with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

2. A combat medic’s memories

Army medic “KC,” photographed in 2009, carried faces representing people who had affected his life. Some were combat losses. Others were not. The account describes his service in Fallujah and Baghdad and his preparations for an Afghanistan deployment.

Iraq veteran and Army medic KC displays tattoos of faces on his upper arm — Army combat medic “KC” carried memories of service and loss on his arms. Department of Defense photo by Donna Miles, 2009.

Close view of the faces and connecting designs in Army medic KC’s tattoo — Army combat medic “KC,” an Iraq veteran, carries faces representing people who affected his life. Some were combat losses; others were not. Department of Defense photo by Donna Miles, 2009.

3. A cross in Iraq

A released photograph from Balad, Iraq shows Spc. Dustin Guillory’s red cross above a tribal band. The photograph dates to September 2004.

Red cross tattoo above a tribal band on soldier Dustin Guillory’s arm in Iraq — Spc. Dustin Guillory’s cross and tribal band, photographed in Balad, Iraq, Sept. 30, 2004. 28th Public Affairs Detachment, released photograph.

4. The platoon’s shared design

Spc. Brian Cook said his entire platoon got the same tattoo after an Iraq deployment. An Army photographer recorded the design while Cook was serving at Combat Outpost Black Hawk in Afghanistan in 2009.

Skull and cross tattoo surrounded by flames on Army Spc. Brian Cook — Spc. Brian Cook displays the tattoo his platoon got after an Iraq deployment: a skull and cross surrounded by flames. Photographed in Wardak province, Afghanistan, Aug. 29, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matthew Thompson.

5. Marine Corps pride

Gunnery Sgt. Dustin Hamilton rolled up his sleeve to display a motivational tattoo at Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow in 2013.

Gunnery Sgt. Dustin Hamilton rolls up his sleeve to display a Marine Corps motivational tattoo — Gunnery Sgt. Dustin Hamilton displays his Marine Corps tattoo at Barstow, California, June 21, 2013. Photo by Carlos Guerra, released through Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow.

6. A sleeve at Camp Pendleton

A 2010 Marine Corps photograph shows Staff Sgt. Jason A. Williams’ tattooed arm at Camp Pendleton. The image accompanied reporting on the tattoo rules of that period; it is not a guide to today’s regulations.

Marine Staff Sgt. Jason Williams extends his tattooed arm toward the camera at Camp Pendleton — Staff Sgt. Jason A. Williams displays his tattooed arm at Camp Pendleton in 2010. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jacob A. Singsank.

7. Life and death on two arms

Lance Cpl. Robert Patterson displayed the words “Death Is Certain” and “Life Is Not” across his arms in a 2009 Army photograph.

Marine Robert Patterson displays the tattooed words Death Is Certain and Life Is Not across his arms — Marine Lance Cpl. Robert Patterson displays “Death Is Certain” and “Life Is Not” across his arms. U.S. Army photo by Kristin Molinaro, The Bayonet, Oct. 15, 2009.

8. An anchor at sea

A Navy video from USS Theodore Roosevelt shows a hand tattoo combining an anchor, skull and life preserver. The Naval History and Heritage Command’s guide describes the anchor’s place in sailors’ tattoo traditions.

Close-up of a sailor’s hand tattoo with an anchor, skull and life preserver — An unnamed sailor’s hand carries an anchor, skull and life preserver in a Navy video from USS Theodore Roosevelt. The anchor has a long place in sailors’ tattoo traditions. U.S. Navy imagery by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brandon Richardson.

9. A ship and its lost crew

In a Navy photograph from 1944, Charles J. Hansen appears with tattoos commemorating USS Vincennes and shipmates lost with her at the Battle of Savo Island in 1942.

Charles Hansen aboard USS Missouri with tattoos commemorating USS Vincennes and lost shipmates — Charles J. Hansen’s tattoos commemorated USS Vincennes and lost shipmates. U.S. Navy photograph, National Archives 80-G-K-4510, 1944.

10. Iraq, 2007: the battle cross

Staff Sgt. Victoria Parker’s battle cross accompanies the initials of five comrades lost during her second Iraq deployment in 2007. She served with the 571st Military Police Company, 504th Military Police Battalion. The Army’s account includes the story of her tattoo.

Older naval traditions

The Naval History and Heritage Command also describes swallows marking 5,000 nautical miles underway, shellback turtles for equator crossings and dragons associated with service in China. A pig and rooster belonged to a superstition about protection from drowning.

When ink helps solve a crime, identify a John Doe or find a missing person

The FBI’s account of tattoo analysis explains how the ink can help investigators develop leads about a person’s identity. Our Ink on File section follows cases involving fugitives, unidentified deceased people and missing people, with photographs and links to official records.

Military tattoos in movies

Tattoos can carry a character’s service history into a scene or become a clue in the plot. These examples connect the ink to military service and war.

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Tattooed Under Fire (2008)

A tattooed service member in the publicity image for Tattooed Under Fire. The documentary follows Iraq-bound and returning soldiers through a Killeen, Texas, tattoo shop. The ITVS image does not name this man. Film publicity image via ITVS.

This documentary follows Iraq-bound and returning U.S. soldiers getting tattoos. The ink opens a conversation about service, fear and life during the war.

Watch the PBS documentary

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Lethal Weapon (1987)

A witness recognizes a tattoo like the one worn by Martin Riggs. Riggs identifies it as a Special Forces tattoo, connecting the investigation to men with a military past.

See the scene’s dialogue

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Jaws (1975)

A removed tattoo leads Quint into his account of surviving the sinking of USS Indianapolis. It connects his wartime experience to the man on the fishing boat.

Quint’s ink has been removed: the scene concerns its scar, not an intact tattoo design.

See the screenplay, page 103

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Warrior (2011)

Tom Hardy plays Marine Tommy Conlon. Hardy has described lending his own tattoos to his characters, including Conlon. The actor’s real ink should not be mistaken for proof of his own military service.

See the producer’s film page

Read Hardy’s own explanation

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