Military beating that leaves a mark on the skin (6)

I believe the answer is:

tattoo

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'military beating' is the definition.
'tattoo' can be an answer for 'beating' (thesaurus). I am not sure about the 'military' bit.

I don't understand the rest of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for tattoo that I've seen before include "Military pageant" , "Skin painting" , "Military event" , "that takes some beating?" , "Pageant; drum beat" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish News.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.