Art or Trauma

I do actually have a tattoo. It was something I had thought about for some time and when my wife went to get hers modified, I got mine. I didn't get it for fashion, I don't brag about it, I don't even show it very often, and when I do it is usually because my wife wants to show it to someone. I have joked that it was because I didn't have any other marks to identify my body or pieces of my body in case of incident, but it does somewhat have an identity for me. It shows that I am a flight medic, and that's about as much description as I will give. I put it on my right shoulder because that is where the flag on my uniform is, and my personal experiences made that location significant to me. It isn't one that all flight medics get, and I think it is safe to say that there is no other like it; so it doesn't include me into some brotherhood of people who get this tattoo. As I think about the reasons for it they seam somewhat foggy. My duty and training was something I was... am, very proud of, so I wanted something that when I looked down I would remember all that I had done to get it and what I had done with it.
So I guess Josie would say I shouldn't have got it; but I disagree about getting a tattoo for fashion. Fashion comes and goes, I think tattoos should portray what truly mattered to you at the time and what was of great importance. I don't think they should be used to make yourself feel better about something, and as far using them to "let go"... how can you let go of something that is permanently inked on your body? I try not to judge others alterations, but I agree with Josie that there are very wrong reasons to be pierced or inked.