European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 22, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday March 222007 stars and stripes paces marines tighten restrictions on tattoos by Jeff Schogol stars and stripes Arlington a marines who Are thinking about getting Ink done should Check out the corps revised Tattoo policy in a Marine administrative message re leased tuesday the corps announced that tattoos visible when marines Wear their it uniforms Are now prohibited the ban applies to sleeve tattoos which cover Large parts of marines arms and legs under previous regulations marines needed Only to make sure tattoos on their arms and legs were not visible while Wear ing the service c uniform full sleeve tattoos which cover All of marines arms and legs Are now prohibited half and Quarter sleeve tattoos visible while wearing the it shirt or shorts Are also banned marines who already have sleeve tattoos will be allowed to keep their existing de signs but they must have All of their Tat Toos photographed and recorded the policy states As was the Case under the old Tattoo policy marines still Are not allowed to have Tat Toos on their necks and Heads also not Al Lowed Are tattoos that Are prejudicial to Good order discipline and morale or Are of a nature to bring discredit upon the Marine corps according to the policy such tattoos include but Are not limited to any that Are sexist racist vulgar ant american antisocial gang related or extremist group or organization related policy states in Early 2006 the army clarified its Tat too Poncy last year to allow some head and neck tattoos changing a longtime policy against clearly visible markings sailors Are still prohibited from having such tattoos but last Spring the Navy eliminated its 25 percent Rule which stated Only on Quarter of any portion of the body covered by sailors uniforms could be tattooed the navys new Rule is that sailors tattoos regardless of size May not be Visi ble through the navys summer White uni form meanwhile the air Force prohibits Tat Toos that cover More than 25 percent of exposed body parts and those visible above the Collarbone according to an August 2006 air Force instruction such tattoos Are considered excessive and if airmen refuse to cover them they can be kicked out of the air Force the ser vice policy states last May the department of defense changed its policy on Tattoo removal re Quiring All Active duty troops who wish to have the Marks layered away to pay for it themselves the new regulation mar admin is available at  email Jeff Schogol at Money offered to sailors who agree to extend sea duty by Jeff Schogol stars and stripes Arlington a the Navy is offering some sail ors Between and per month to extend sea duty or Cut Short their time ashore about 1400 sailors will be eligible for the sea duty incentive pay Pilot program Over the next 18 to 24 months said Jeri Busch head of military pay and compensation policy the Navy Hopes that Between 50 percent and 75 per cent of the eligible sailors take the incentive said Busch who serves on the staff of the chief of naval personnel under the program the following sailors Are eligible for the Bonus e9 aviation Boatswain mates e8 aviation Boatswain mates launching and re covery e8 aviation Boatswain mates e8 aviation Boatswain mates aircraft e6 engine Man e5 fire control men for Aegis cruisers in Navy enlisted classifications 110611071115111911431144 131813221335 and 1337 the ratings listed were chosen for the Pilot program because they present at sea Manning Chal Lenges Busch said the move comes As the Navy is deploying More sailors in Shal Low water assign ments such As River Ine duty or far Inland such As individual aug me tees for ground forces in the us Cen trial command theater of operations even with the navys efforts to support ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghani Stan we still have our worldwide missions Busch said and in that regard we still need to achieve balance Between our assignments ashore and permanent assignments at still need to achieve balance Between our assignments ashore and permanent assignments a Seaw Jeri Busch head of military pay and compensation policy sea according to a Navy administrative announcement this week eligible sailors can receive the Bonus in a Lump sum with sailors outside the Continental United states Able to extend up to 36 months Busch said the Navy will release in the near future exactly How much Money sailors in each of those ratings will receive service officials also will work to assign forwarded played sailors on Shore duty or at sea to the same Geo graphical Region they Are in for More information sailors can View Navy naval min at  email Jeff Schogol at Monte and stripes a Vendor stands beside his Sha Warma stand and watches a joint us and iraqi army patrol Roll past in Baghdad Zafar Aniyah District theres been a significant change said capt David Smith commander of Battery a 2nd battalion 17th Field artillery regiment the main Road through the District is clogged with cars now because people feel its Safe to go out surge pays off in Baghdad District by Monte Morin stars and stripes Baghdad its not much to look at but this Stark walled compound several Miles South of Sadr City May Well be one of the keys to Baghdad salvation according to us command ers established just two months ago the Zafar Aniyah joint Security station is one of roughly 30 neighbourhood patrol bases that us army Gen David h Petraeus has slated for operation in Iraq violent and religiously torn capital the stations which Are staffed by us and iraqi army soldiers and iraqi police Are critical elements of an Over All plan to flood the City with five additional us army brigades and ideally end a bitter and bloody feud Between Baghdad shiite and sunni sects the stations main building is a Plain two Story Structure overlooking Baghdad technical University on one recent morning trash burned in a Rusty barrel behind the building Asen Glish and arabic voices squawked from half a dozen military and police radios in the operations room roughly a dozen us and iraqi offic ers and enlisted personnel kept track of reported incidents and municipal projects throughout the District refer ring to a Large Wall map covered with plastic and studded with push pins fleets of iraqi police sums us army humvee and iraqi army vehicles rolled in and out of the compound responding to emergencies or staging routine patrols already the Zafar Aniyah station has been linked to a Steep drop in violence in Eastern Baghdad Karada Security District a sprawling and diverse tract of roughly a Quarter million inhabit ants the District is Home to Baghdad largest soft drink bottler and today its main roads Are teeming with traffic from students workers and shoppers before launching the Baghdad surge and establishing the Security station soldiers at nearby Forward operating bases loyalty and rus Tamiyah endured mortar and rocket attacks on an almost daily basis in one instance alone insurgents lobbed a startling 30 mortars at Fob loyalty which occupies the old Headquarters for Iraq former Mukha Barat or intelligence Agency now soldiers with the fort car so based 2nd brigade combat team 2nd infantry division the unit responsible for Karada say mortar attacks Are rare they say too that attacks involving explosively formed projectiles or Fps a particularly deadly form of Roadside bomb used exclusively by shiite militants have dried up almost completely also soldiers who were once called upon to search for evidence of Ghoul ish sectarian killings one Case involved the alleged burning of executed sunnis in local bakery ovens now say such Sec based acts of violence appear to be Down theres been a significant change said capt David Smith 30 of Santa be no and commander of Battery a 2nd battalion 17th Field artillery regiment the main Road through the District is clogged with cars now be cause people feel its Safe to go out commanders list several reasons for the drop in hostilities first Many of the High level shiite militiamen who planned or ordered the murder of sunnis or attacks on Security forces have fled the neighbor Hood next frequent and highly visible patrols have made it much harder for militants and criminals to operate com Manders say too that close cooperation Between us forces and iraqi sol Diers and police has resulted in the capture of Many suspected militants and the seizure of sizable weapons stashes based on intelligence gathered by iraqis that cooperation much of which occurs at the joint Security stations also has allowed us command ers to identify episodes of corruption or improper behaviour among iraqi Security forces its based on Gen Petraeus counterinsurgency doctrine Smith said of the cooperation we need to get Down out of our castles of our fobs and work with the people also theres been a lot of concern about corruption among the iraqi police this is a Way for us to get in their business and ensure things Are working right platoons from the 2nd battalion 17th Field artillery rotate through the ass twice a week the duty involves Many hours of patrolling and few amenities the station lacks a heated sleeping area tunning water and a Din ing facility restrooms outfitted with heavily trafficked Eastern squat toilets add to the ambiance it sucks but it works sgt Brandon Daggs said of the ass duty and in creased patrolling i feel More Safe in our area of operations because weve got a giant foothold now said the 23yearold Oakland Calif native email Monte Morin at