PERSIAN GULF: Skin art and Navy regulations

The military is trying to discourage its troops from getting showy tattoos.

But who could object to a quote from the Bible, right?

So Navy corpsman Kyle Armstrong, assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, decided to devote his forearms to a quote from Isaiah 22:13 (there's also a version in 1 Corinthians 15:29).

On Armstrong's left forearm: "Eat & Drink Today, fore." And on his right: "We Die Tomorrow."

Although some might dispute his literal reading of the quotation, he said his family liked his tattoos.

Armstrong, now aboard the amphibious assault ship Tarawa in the Persian Gulf, notes that he is still within military regulations. Both parts of the quote end before the wrist, as required.

— Tony Perry on the Tarawa

Photo: Kyle Armstrong and his biblical quotation. Credit: Tony Perry / Los Angeles Times