Contributed by Tim Brugger, Catalogs.com Top 10 Guru

Tats, ink, skin art; whatever you want to call it has a long and storied history.

Here in the states, the history of tattoos is a bit different than say, Polynesian or Samoan cultures. For us, it wasn’t long ago getting tattoo meant one of two things; you’re in the Armed Forces or you had WAY to much fun last night.

Let’s stick with the former. Here are the top ten military tattoo designs.

10. Shadow

The outline, or shadow, of this tat is what warrants inclusion on the list. It lends a certain artistic feel beyond the traditional tattoo. And no doubt, the bearer of this one is proud to have served, that’s for sure. No little T-shirt or long pants will cover this up; he wants to the world to know he’s done his duty.

9. Paratrooper

I think it’s safe to say this guy or girl wasn’t a grunt bustin’ their way through some long forgotten jungle. If she was, she got there the hard way. These type of military tattoo designs reinforce the notion “a picture says a thousand words.” I’m guessing the thousand words behind this one make for one hell of a story.

8. Symbolic

Simple, without a lot of splash is what makes this one worthy of our Top 10. The universal sign for the soldier who didn’t make it, with the phrase that’s so much more than just a motto; “Never Be Forgotten”. Demonstrating yet again sometimes less is more.

7. Text

A shout out for the verbiage-laden ink. Can’t quite make out the message being conveyed, but the objective is clear. This dude’s back has a story to tell; if only he’d stop spending so much defending freedom and getting shot at, we’d be able to read it. Oh well, we’ll just have to peruse it when he gets home.

6. Spartan

The Spartans, protectors of ancient Sparta and basically recognized as some of the baddest dudes ever make pretty darn good military tattoo designs. No particular branch of the service, but the message is pretty clear; think twice about messing with the big dog.

5. Across the pond

Proving Americans aren’t the only tat-happy military folk out there, this one’s for the Brits in the crowd. A nice ode to Mother England; simple yet elegant. Then again, upon closer inspection this could be a guy with a really big ‘fro and funky military cut tunic; hard to say. Either way, it lends a lighter air to the military tattoo designs list.

4. The battle

It’s a fact that 10 different people can look at a piece of art and get 10 different impressions; that’s the beauty of it all. This one’s screaming big time battle to me, and I think we just caught this guy near the end of the proceedings. A little worse for wear that’s for sure, but still standin’.

3. Helping hand

Looks like this soldier is giving someone, a buddy or a civilian, a needed hand. There’s some great detail with this work of art, and I like the splash of color. The note at the top is pretty cool too; giving an eternal shout out to all those that didn’t make it home. Nice.

2. Got your back

Okay, this one’s a little fresh out of the oven but the message and look are way too cool to not include way up this Top 10 list. I especially like the way the message is (literally) wrapped around the universal symbol for a fallen soldier/comrade. Still with us or not, the guy toting this ink is right there if needed.

1. Whoa

For the sheer audacity, let alone the commitment; this has to top the list of military tattoo designs; whoa. As a tat-free human I can’t say for sure, but this must have been years in the making. The intricacy of the multiple pictures and text and the contrast between color and black and white is incredible. And the Eagle holding the tags; nice touch.