KENNEBUNK — A tattoo rings the front of her neck, and the inability to cover it up with a simple V-neck T-shirt is preventing a Kennebunk woman from continuing on her path to become a U.S. Marine.

Kate Pimental got the tattoo two years ago, when she was 18. Had she known then that it might prevent her from joining the Marine Corps, she said on Tuesday, she may have thought twice. She may have not gotten a tattoo at all, or had it inked in a spot where it wasn’t so visible.

The tattoo, located just below her collarbone, is an inscription that reads, “Let your smile change the world but never let the world change you.”

Pimental’s smile is not wavering, despite her situation. And she’s got an ally in Congress on her side.

Frustrated with the Marine Corps’ refusal to take Pimental because of the tattoo, Pimental dashed off a letter to Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree in January.

“She replied within a week,” said Pimental. “It happened pretty quickly.”

Pingree has asked U.S. Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller to look at regulations that don’t provide female Marines the same ability to receive a waiver of the rules as it does men. Although the Marine Corps policy discourages accepting recruits with tattoos, waivers are regularly given when the tattoo can be covered up by the official uniform, said Pingree in a statement.

For male Marines, that uniform can include a crew neck undershirt that would cover up a tattoo like Pimental’s. But the female uniform calls for a V-neck shirt, which leaves more of the recruit’s chest area exposed – and in this case, Pimental’s tattoo.

Pimental said she’s passed the physical agility test and completed the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test, which she likened to an SAT. But right now, she can go no further with her plan, though she continues to work out with other would-be Marines each Tuesday and Thursday at the South Portland recruiting station.

“Its awesome. I love it,” she said of the intense physical training. “I’m doing it to keep strong.”

Keeping up with the training will help her when she goes off to boot camp one day, she said. Once her situation is resolved.

And she’s confident it will be.

Pimental graduated from Farmington, New Hampshire, High School. When she turned 18, she got the tattoo.

“All my friends were getting them,” she said.

She has considered getting the tattoo removed, but she would need family financial help to do so. And with her goal of joining the Marines not sitting well with family members, that alternative isn’t in the cards right now.

Pingree’s request for a review of the rules may help Pimental and other women who are eager to serve their country.

“As women take more active roles in defending this country, it’s important that we address some of the discrepancies that provide men with options unavailable to their female counterparts,” Pingree said.

The congresswoman described Pimental as “bright, strong, motivated, and dedicated to overcoming the barriers currently prohibiting her from enlistment.”

“She meets every prerequisite required by the USMC Recruiting Command other than her ability to obtain a tattoo waiver,” Pingree said.

Pimental said she has wanted a military career for a long time. She began exploring all the military branches, and decided in August that Semper Fi should be her motto.

“I always thought I should be in the military,” she said. “The Marines inspire me. Being a Marine will help me become a better person and a stronger person mentally and physically.”

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.