I never gave a second thought at all to men of prior generations who had a tattoo on them...arm, leg, chest, whatever. I grew up in military family and saw them all the time.
I also saw men who never went swimming because they would have to remove their shirt.
My Company Commander in Boot Camp was TM1 Mackelprang...he had “LOVE” and “HATE” tattooed on his knuckles, and with that pencil mustache and a wiry 5’5” height, looked like Charles Bronson...and he looked like he could use his fists.
We saw him tie his shoe one day, and when he put his foot up on a bench, the better part of a naked lady running the length of his calf was visible as he pulled his sock up!
I don’t have a problem with that.
My uncle went into the Air Force back in the Fifties, and got his name tattooed in cursive on his deltoid...when my grandfather saw it, the old Armenian said derisively (as my mom told me) “What. You had to get your name tattooed on your arm because you couldn’t remember it?”