This hardcore tattoo is on the left ribcage ("close to my heart") of Christopher Bianchi of Mechanicsburg, PA. We've exchanged some e-mail in the past.
He wrote, "I served in the Marine Corps for six years, including combat in Somalia with the 13th MEU, and somehow never got the requisite 'Marine' tattoo. Well, today I got it, and it looks great! The artist was just as excited as I was about this piece. His name is Steve at Drop of Ink Tattoo ... I will always have my Gadsden flag with me now — even when I am not under it on my deck!"
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This one belongs to my friend Pete Eyre, the leader of the pro-freedom activist group Bureaucrash.
"The idea for the tattoo, which I got on my calf, is from the book Enemies Foreign & Domestic. As an anarcho-capitalist, I believe every individual has the right to act freely so long as they do not harm the equal rights of another, which is represented by the Gadsden Flag. Also, because each individual has personal sovereignty, or property in his or herself, they have the right to defend his or herself, which is why I incorporated the rifle."
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Pete, from the tattoo above, also sent this image.
He wrote, "This is my buddy Dan Wilk. He got a tattoo on his ribs that incorporated the Gadsden Flag with the image from Lamb of God's 'Ashes of the Wake' album. Dan is big into metal (he plays the guitar himself) and big into liberty (he communicates the ideas to all those in his sphere)."
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Newt Raynolds, a 59-year-old retired reinsurance broker from Alamo, CA, wrote "I got this Gadsden Flag image tattoo three years ago in honor of those who were murdered on 9/11, and as a permanent reminder to myself and everyone else who sees it of our obligation to win the war against Islamic terrorists."
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Jason from Indianapolis says he never really thought he wanted a tattoo. But the Gadsden flag means so much to him that he wants to be flying it until "his last dying breath." With this he will be.
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This fearsome beauty is on the arm of US Marine Corps Lt. Derek Huppmann, who's in the flight program in Pensacola.
"I come from a Navy family, so I couldn't choose between the Navy snake or the Gadsden, but I love what I have! It took four hours from my good friend in Wilmington, Lucky 7 Tattoos."
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Rachel from Ireland got this tattoo on the base of her back. Here's what she wrote to me: "I wanted the snake because I love how it symbolises independence from tyranny - I may not be American, I'm from Northern Ireland, but that concept still speaks clearly. The 'liberty or death' was just another way of showing my desire for freedom from tyranny - especially relevant in our nanny state! It's also a bit of a tribute to members of the forces - especially those in my family, past and present."
And she sweetly added: "Your website definitely helped me decide that I wanted the snake tattoo, and helped me learn some things I hadn't known before - keep up the good work." Thanks, Rachel. :-)
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This tattoo belongs to Mike from South Jersey. He says he "always wanted a patriotic tattoo, but wanted to stray from the bald eagle or even the American flag. I wanted to do something a little different. So I decided to go revolutionary. I took my idea of simply a rattlesnake and 'Liberty and Death' to a tattooist named Justin at Sick Creation in Thorofare, NJ. I came back a week later and that's what he had for me. I'm very happy with the piece."
And he added: "Your website was one of the ones I searched looking for ideas about a year and half ago." :-) That makes me very proud.
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Adam Charteris first heard about the Gadsden flag from a friend in the Ontario Libertarian Party. "Slowly, Canada is turning into the 'nanny state' ... One example being the provincial government banning smoking from bars, private businesses where, in my opinion, the owner should decide whether or not to allow smoking. Or the tyrannical pitbull ban which assumes that all members of this breed are vicious and unable to become trained, loving members of a family. (It is, however, legal to posess a tiger!) ... While my freedoms may slowly continue to be eroded, they can never take this away from me."
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MRT from Poland has this tattoo. The Polish, of course, were tread on a lot in the 20th century. Many of them are now steadfast supporters of freedom.
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USMC Second Lieutenant Dwight Silva is proud of his Gadsden tattoo, saying "it symbolizes my love for America's espousal of freedom and our willingness to fight for the preservation of that principle. This tattoo has taken on a dutiful meaning to me since I had the honor of becoming a member of the United States Marine Corps."
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NYPD Detective Danny Boggiano got this tattoo on his left arm. He sees it as a personal protest to the outrageous acts of 9/11, and as a way of connecting with his family's military history (which includes his wife, a doctor with the 60th Medical Group on active duty in the USAF).
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PV2 Joey Knapp of the U.S. Army got this tattoo in March 2005 right after basic training and AIT. It's his first tattoo and it wraps around the top of his forearm.
In his message to me he added, "I have seen a tank with 'don't tread on me' on the gun tube but I don't think they let people take pictures. I'll try though. If I can get one I'll be sure to send it your way." If he does, I'll be sure to post it here!
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Kevin McDaniel of Wilmington, Delaware found the "Nemo me impune lacesset" ("No one wounds me with impunity," in Latin) Georgia Continental currency image on this site and had it tattooed on his forearm.
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Here's the beautiful tattoo on Sam Gruber's back. A retired Navy admiral at a picnic in Fairmount Park in Philly snapped the picture.
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Ahmed Mobasher got his first tattoo: the timber rattlesnake with the "Don't Tread on Me" motto.
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Teddy Crider of Apex, North Carolina, decided to get his first tattoo at age 52: a full-color rendition of the Gadsden flag image he found on this site.
In his words: "I've always considered myself a patriotic American. The events of 9/11 made my feelings even stronger. Last year I bought a baseball cap with the Gadsden flag while vacationing in Washington DC. The message really resonated with me. My later research on the web and your site really reinforced those feelings."
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This one belongs to Doug from "Live Free or Die" New Hampshire. It's a one-of-a-kind design drawn by a friend of his.
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Matt Alger was originally inspired by the lyrics of Metallica's "Don't Tread On Me" song, but he got the tattoo because of what it stands for, not the because of the band.
"To me, at least in my not-so-humble opinion, I feel that the Gadsden flag is the 'original' American flag and the 'original' rebel flag. ... It captures the American spirit, which — along with the help of God, guns and guts — is what made our nation free."
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T.J. Wysocki was always interested in the Revolutionary war and the U.S. Marine Corps, and the D.T.O.M. symbol became especially important to him after 9/11. This is his way of saying "don't mess with America."
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Judy from Huntingtown, Maryland, had this one done by a friend at "Eternal Buzz Tattoos" in Prince Frederick. According to Judy, "My son (in the Navy) thinks he has a wild mom, my daughter just thinks I'm nuts. I like it and wear it proudly."
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Do you have a "Don't Tread on Me" tattoo, or have you used the flag in an interesting way? Send me a picture at chris<--at-->interesting.com (replace "<--at-->" with the @ symbol). I'd love to see it. Be sure to let me know if it would be OK for me to use the tattoo on this page and include a thing or two about yourself, what the tattoo means to you, why you got it, etc.
