Title: Blood Pinning
Informant info: Informant name is Jason Laackmann. Jason is twenty-eight years old and attends Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH as a United States Army Veteran. Jason served in the Army for five years in active duty and continues to serve in the Minnesota National Guard. The locations in which he has served are Fort Bend, Georgia, Fort Riley, Kansas, and overseas in Eastern Afghanistan.
Type of lore: Customary/Material Folklore, Tradition
Language: English
Country of Origin: USA
Social / Cultural Context: Jason was interviewed at Dartmouth College. He was asked to discuss any traditions he had experienced during his time in the Army, in which he recalled a special and prominent tradition he felt strongly about when he graduated Ranger School.
Associated File: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6KcnEdk7Q4 (start at 3:18)
Transcript: [I have recorded the item exactly how it was told to me in the interview]: Um, you know another thing, is graduating Ranger School, when you, when you get pinned your Ranger Tag on your shoulder, instead of pinning it through the fabric, they take the safety pin and put it all the way to your skin as a rite of passage. And uh, it’s the same thing with promotions and uh, combat awards. Or um, like when you, when you pass airborne school, you, they take the pin and push it into your skin and blood pin you without the back and just, hammer it home. Or when you get promoted, um, they’ll put the, the rank on your chest, and punch you quite hard. Uh, the army says all that stuff is hazing, but, uh you know, traditions are traditions. So it’s gonna be done regardless.
Informant’s comments: Jason has experienced this tradition a few times and still remembers it being a bit painful but at the same time humbling and honoring.
Collector’s comments: Jason did a subtle demonstration when describing the pinning tradition, pulling at his shirt sleeve at one point in his explanation. When discussing the blood pinning, Jason punched his chest to emphasize how the pin would be placed in his chest, as well as punching his fist into his hand.