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Background Information:
A dog tag is the informal name for the identification tags worn by military personnel, because of their resemblance to actual dog tags. Various formats exist around the world but in the US Army dog tags record the surname, given name, social security/service number, blood type and religion - stamped on a small piece of metal that is worn on a metal chain around the neck. During World War II, certain medical information such as the date of the soldier's last tetanus shot was also included on the tag. The tag is primarily used for the identification of dead and wounded. In the event the member has a medical condition that requires special attention, an additional red tag with the pertinent information is issued and worn with the dog tags.
Wearing of the tag is required at all times by soldiers in the field. It may contain two copies of the information and be designed to break easily into two pieces. This allows half the tag to be collected for notification while the other half remains with the body when battle conditions do not allow the casualty to be immediately recovered. Alternately, two identical tags are issued. One is worn on a long chain around the neck; the second on a much smaller chain attached to the first chain. In the event the wearer is killed the second tag is collected and the first remains with the body.
Dog tags in history
Dog tags were worn at least as far back as ancient Sparta.
During the American Civil War of 1861-1865, some soldiers pinned paper notes with their name and home address to the backs of their coats. Other soldiers
stenciled identification on their knapsacks or scratched it in the soft lead backing of the Army belt buckle.
Manufacturers of identification badges recognized a market and began advertising in periodicals. Their pins were usually shaped to suggest a branch of service and engraved with the soldier's name and unit. Machine-stamped tags were also made of brass or lead with a hole and usually had (on one side) an eagle or shield and such phrases as "War for the Union" or "Liberty, Union, and Equality." The other side had the soldier's name and unit and sometimes a list of battles in which he had participated.
A New Yorker named John Kennedy wrote to the U.S. Army in 1862, offering to furnish discs for all officers and men in the Federal Army, enclosing a design for the disc. The National Archives now has the letter along with the reply, a summary refusal without explanation.
In the Spanish-American War, soldiers purchased crude stamped identification tags; sometimes with misleading information.
The Prussian Army issued identification tags for its troops at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.
The U.S. Army first authorized identification tags in War Department General Order No. 204, dated December 20, 1906, which essentially prescribes the Kennedy identification tag:
"An aluminum identification tag, the size of a silver half dollar and of suitable thickness, stamped with the name, rank, company, regiment, or corps of the wearer, will be worn by each officer and enlisted man of the Army whenever the field kit is worn, the tag to be suspended from the neck, underneath the clothing, by a cord or thong passed through a small hole in the tab. It is prescribed as a part of the uniform and when not worn as directed herein will be habitually kept in the possession of the owner. The tag will be issued by the Quartermaster's Department gratuitously to enlisted men and at cost price to officers..."
The Army changed regulations on July 6, 1916, so that all men were issued two tags: one to stay with the body and the other to go to the person in charge of the burial for record-keeping purposes. In 1918, the Army adopted and allotted the serial number system, and name and serial numbers were ordered stamped on the identification tags of all enlisted men. (Serial number 1 was assigned to enlisted man Arthur B. Crean of Chicago in the course of his fifth enlistment period.) In 1969 the Army converted to the Social Security number for personnel identification. Some nations have instead of two tags a single tag with a half that can be easily broken off for the purpose of record-keeping.
There is a recurring myth about the notch situated in one end of the dog tags issued to United States Army personnel during World War II. It was rumored that the notch's purpose was so that if a soldier found one of his comrades on the battlefield, he could take one tag to the commanding officer and kick the other between the teeth of the soldier to ensure that the tag would remain with the body and be identified. According to Snopes, the notch is there simply to hold the tag in place on the embossing machine.
Following WWII, the US Navy Department adopted the dog tags used by the US Army and Air Force, so a single shape and size became the American standard.
In the 1950s, at the height of fears about possible nuclear war, all New York City public school pupils were issued dog tags.
It is claimed that in more modern battles, like the Vietnam War, American soldiers were required to place rubber silencers on their dog tags so the enemy would not hear the metallic clanking. This is not true, one tag was to be worn around the neck, and the other tag on the lace of the left boot. While possibly not true for Vietnam, rubber silencers are available from Army/Navy Surplus stores, as well as other similar stores.
Dog tags are traditionally part of the makeshift battlefield memorials soldiers and Marines create to their fallen comrades. The casualty's rifle with bayonet affixed is stood vertically atop the empty boots, with the helmet over the stock of the rifle. The dog tags are then hung from the handle or trigger guard of the rifle.
Recent developments
Teenager wearing custom-made dog tags Recently, the army stopped calling the tags "Dog tags" and adopted the more civilized "I.D tags". It was rumored that, in the 1990s, some enlisted trainees complained that the term "dog tag" was offensive, but this has not been confirmed.
Also, dog tags have recently found their way into youth fashion by way of military chic. Originally worn as a part of a military uniform by youths wishing to present a tough or militaristic image, dog tags have since seeped out into wider fashion circles. They may be inscribed with a person's details, their beliefs or tastes, a favorite quote, or may bear the name or logo of a band or performer. Some people also prefer to have the information on their tags transferred to a smaller, sometimes golden or silver tag by a jeweller, as the original tag can be considered too large and bulky by some.
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