A tattoo that passed muster when Kayla Bresnan was sworn into the U.S. Air Force in April might now keep her from service thanks to a rule quietly implemented last week.

On Monday, the day before she was to ship out to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio for basic training, she was told by an Air Force official that the 3-inch-by-3-inch theatrical mask on her "saluting arm" is no longer acceptable. He called a cab and sent her back to her Greensburg recruiting office.

"I qualified in every aspect, I passed all my physical exams," said Ms. Bresnan, 19, of Penn Township, Westmoreland County. "It's just a huge let-down. This was my dream."

The U.S. Air Force last week extended its tattoo policy -- which already bars "excessive" and "obscene" body art -- to ban markings on the right arm below the elbow. It is the lone branch of the military to do so.

"As long as it is hidden in a shirt, you are fine," said Amy Bartholomew, a spokeswoman for the Air Force Recruiting Service at Randolph Air Force Base. The Air Force is tightening its policy to better uphold "military standards of professional image," she said, after a recent review of more than 6,000 trainees found at least 80 with inappropriate tattoos.

The new rule applies to recruits entering basic training and not to those already fully enrolled in the service. It is still unclear what will become of recruits who are already in basic training with "saluting arm" tattoos, Ms. Bartholomew said.

The policy is particularly troublesome for those in the Delayed Entry Program, such as Ms. Bresnan, who were sworn into the Air Force under the old standards, agreeing to report to active duty at a specific time months later.

At least 18 people who had planned to ship out to Lackland yesterday were told they could not due to such tattoos, Ms. Bartholomew said. The military expects more recruits will find themselves in the same predicament in upcoming weeks.

"This new policy established a few days before I leave has basically ruined my life," said Ms. Bresnan, who spent the last seven months prepping for basic training. She ran daily. She memorized the Airman's Creed and studied the chain of command. She quit smoking and cut her long blonde hair. She said her good-byes and packed her bags.

A thespian in high school, Ms. Bresnan said she got the tattoo -- a rendition of a smiling mask from ancient Greek comedy -- just after graduation. It slipped past recruiters, she said, because it was not deemed "excessive," covering less than 25 percent of her exposed arm.

Ms. Bresnan's chances of joining the Air Force are not completely dashed. The service will allow a 30-day "grace period" in which squadron commanders will review every tattoo that passed muster before the new rule took effect Nov. 25 and decide which are acceptable "on a case-by-case basis," said another spokeswoman, Christa D'Andrea.

"It's a tough one," she said. "Some people get caught in the middle, unfortunately."

Ms. Bresnan, who sought prices for tattoo removal and found them too costly, said she is hopeful but skeptical. The Delayed Entry Program allowed her to secure a job in space systems operations, one she fears she may have lost when she was not allowed to ship out.

"I waited seven months for the job I got," she said. "Hopefully, they'll find me a job in these 30 days."

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