Standing by His Ink – Veteran’s Tattoo Leads to Scrutiny, New Job at VA CPT (r) Tyler Merritt October 22, 2016 Veteran Inspired 240 All too often, we make decisions in or about the military that sometimes have an unexpected result. That’s exactly what happened to one career nurse not too long ago. But this Arizona Marine lived up to his service’s reputation. Served By Our Own Joseph Leal, registered nurse and Marine Corps veteran, has become something of a champion for the many patients he helps to treat and serve every day now. And it all comes down to some ink that he had permanently placed onto his forearm. The local news even kicked off with one story of a patient — an 85 year-old veteran affectionately known as “Pops” — who was awestruck by seeing Leal’s tattoo. He rolled up to Leal in his wheelchair, grabbed his wrist and looked hard at the tattoo. Then Pops, with a surprised look on his face, uttered, “you’re one of us!” That’s because Joseph Leal decided recently to quit his old job over their very policy that had Pops so dumbfounded. “You’re one of us” isn’t something that veterans get to say all the time in VA hospitals. But thanks to one employer’s tattoo policy, Joseph Leal made a career change and couldn’t be more happy or satisfied about it. The Ink on the Policy When asked about the tattoo on his forearm, Leal responded, “it was just something that was still missing for me.” It was rendered by the tattoo artist as the Eagle, Globe and Anchor — the famous insignia of the US Marine Corps awarded to recruits who graduate from Marine Corps Recruit Training in either Parris Island, SC on the East Coast or San Diego for the West. No one said anything at the hospital in which Leal worked as a registered nurse once he decided to get it. There had been a tattoo policy on the books that stated that all tattoos must be covered, but many of the staff, according to Leal, often left their own tattoos displayed yet never received any notice of an issue. That all changed when, in August, everyone at Leal’s former hospital received an email reminder about the policy. His own supervisor confirmed that it would have to be dealt with more strictly. As such, Leal didn’t think that he could do it. He didn’t like wearing long sleeves under his scrubs for the sanitary reasons (imagine already having to change and disinfect scrubs — adding additional t-shirts and the like to that) and that he just couldn’t cover it up. Understanding the Policy, but… One of the key elements in regard to this is that Leal understood why the policy was there in terms of offensive or culturally insensitive, but Leal’s position was firm, saying, “I had to stand for what I believe.” For him, hiding the tattoo would be akin to “asking me to cover up my stars and stripes,” Leal insisted. For him, that didn’t sit well. He didn’t think a marker of his service should be hidden from view. He didn’t think he had anything there to be ashamed of. So, like a Marine, he decided to act. Finding a New Home Fortunately, there was an employer in town with a tattoo policy that he could be okay with. The local VA hospital in Prescott, AZ. There, about 40 percent of the staff are veterans. It’s given Leal the opportunity to not only display his tattoo with pride but to also serve a demographic that makes him proud — his fellow veterans. We couldn’t be happier for Joseph Leal nor the Prescott, AZ VA hospital. It’s always good to see a story where one of our own gets a win! At Nine Line News, we are relentlessly patriotic — a lot like Joseph Leal. If that strikes you as something you feel strongly about, check out this awesome way to make it known!
