It's been a fairly common military tradition for soldiers to get tattoos to remember their regiment or in honor of fallen friends and comrades. But Shaun Clark, who served with the 8th Battalion Light Infantry in the UK from 1989 to 1996, is going above and beyond the usual tattoo. He's commemorating every single British soldier who's perished in the conflict in Afghanistan since 2002 with tattoos.
Clark's back is now a full-fledged memorial. For Remembrance Day (aka Veteran's Day) on November 11th, he sat down with Kevin Kent of Fantasy Tattoos Studios in Waterdale Doncaster and turned his skin into a memorial for British soldiers. Working with the Ministry of Defense, a list was assembled of every British solider who has died in Afghanistan since 2002. Over 200 names were inked onto Clark's back by Kent, who donated his time and efforts for free. You see, this isn't just a personal act, Clark decided to get this tattoo as a way to help raise funds for Help for Heroes. The organization was founded by Bryn and Emma Perry in the fall of 2007 with the mission to help wounded British soldiers, male or female, returning home from Afghanistan or Iraq.
To donate to the cause, you can visit Shaun's Just Giving page where he's taking donations for Help For Heroes. For those donating who are UK citizens, the contributions are tax deductible.
