New member...not so new

[Devious6]

Hi Everyone!

I thought I'd introduce myself - probably a little different than your normal newbie. I just got my first tattoo about 10 days ago so I'm still in the healing process. I guess you could say it took me a long time to decide..I will turn 61 at the end of this month. :) My initial inspiration was my father, a WWII and Korean Conflict Marine who sported a killer skull with a snake intertwined in the eyes and mouth. I never did anything about it and later, as an officer in the U.S. Army, tattoos were not generally accepted in the officer corps. After retiring from the Army, I began to consider doing it but, again, time and life just got in the way. Recently, as I watched the rash of famous musicians and others of my generation pass on, I decided it was time to knock this item off my bucket list.

The design I picked is probably not what others might have chosen. But, in the end, I went with something that speaks to me and has personal meaning - I'm far to old to worry if others don't like what I do. :) The symbol of the wolf as a warrior, as fierce, cunning, intelligent and loyal to the pack harkens back to my military career. The fact that my last name is Russian for wolf helped, too. The tribal designs just added to the relationship to the warrior spirit and loyalty. I found an example on-line and took it to my artist and asked him to create something like it for me. Personally, I'm thrilled with how it came out - it is healing really well. I plan on going back in a few months to add some shading around the lines.

Here it is - this picture was taken 7 days after getting it done.

So, now that I've lost my virginity, I am already thinking of what to do on my right shoulder. I want to do something that relates to my military career - perhaps an eagle, a US flag, some combination.... I'm also unsure if I should stick with black/gray, go to color or some combination. I have lots of time to figure it out since I won't do anything until after the summer - don't want to miss chances to hit the pool!!

I look forward to getting to know people and gaining knowledge and insights as I move down this new path for me.

Mark

[Polly7]

Looks great! Thank you for your service!

[Devious6]

Looks great! Thank you for your service!

Thank you. It was my honor to serve. I spent 26 years on active duty, we lived in 21 houses in those 26 years and I visited many, many countries along the way. Still miss it every day - working with tremendous men and women under tough conditions is tremendously rewarding..and addicting.