Tattoo by Steve Boltz of Smith Street Tattoo.

As Americans head into our Memorial Day weekend, prepping to gorge on BBQ and cultivate sunburns, I figured I'd do a holier-than-thou, finger wagging post to remind us that it's a time to honor and reflect on those who died in service to our country. And I figured I'd do that via memorial and military tattoos, like this one above by Steve Boltz of Smith Street Tattoo in Brooklyn.

You can find an array of those designs on the following sites:

• * MilitaryTattoos.us covers every branch of the Armed Forces and their ink.
• * TattooNow's extensive galleries from the very top tattooists, and
• * BME's Political and Patriotic tattoo pages contain thousands of images to troll through over the long weekend.

Personally, I cannot think of a better way to pay tribute to our military than ogling them during NYC's Fleet Week, going on until the 26th. My fave is the Tug of War and Stem-to_Stern relay race tomorrow at 11:30 -- events that truly highlight those bicep and calf tattoos.