The Iraq/Afghanistan Dog Tag Memorial at the Museum of the Forgotten Warrior outside of Beale Air Force Base, California, is decorated with dog tags as of November. 10, 2011. All of the soldiers and civilians who had died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as of October 1 were memorialized there. 30, 2011. It includes 6,296 individual dog tags. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Fowler/US Air Force.
American soldiers in the Civil War worried about how their bodies would be properly identified if they were killed in battle, which is understandable given that more than 40% of the war’s dead are still unidentified.
Some soldiers tattooed their epitaphs on themselves to help them cope, while others made paper dog tags with their names on them or sewed them to clothing. Additionally, they wore necklaces with these identification symbols carved into coins or pieces of wood. When there was no established official procedure, it was their way of helping the living.
Federal dead at Gettysburg, JULY 1, 1863. Photo by Henry W. Elson, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Although the unofficial practice took some time to take off and the identification technique is now commonly referred to as “dog tags,” the term wasn’t actually coined until at least 1936. The moniker comes from a situation that has nothing to do with the military. Newspaper tycoon and pioneer of yellow journalism William Randolph Hearst wrote an article to try and undermine support for President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. Hearst learned of a plan for the newly established Social Security Administration to issue nameplates for individual identification, with the addition that all employees would be treated like dogs and private information would no longer be confidential. He called these identification plates “dog tags. ”.
During a presentation titled “Dog Tags: History, Stories & Folklore of Military Identification” at the Library of Congress, Ginger Cucolo stated, “This news was widely disseminated and easily caught on.” “We think the label and dog tags actually stuck there.” ”.
Civil War dog tag, left, of Cpl. Alvin B. Williams of Company F, 11th Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers, is pictured to the right holding a musket and a bayonet in a scabbard. Williams was killed in battle in 1864 close to Virginia’s Spotsylvania Courthouse. Photos courtesy of the Library of Congress. Composite by Coffee or Die Magazine.
Civil War dog tag, left, of Corporal Alvin B. With a musket and a bayonet in a scabbard, Williams of Company F, 11th Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers, is pictured to the right. Photos courtesy of the Library of Congress.
After the American Civil War, US service members kept the custom alive. An Army chaplain in the Philippines made the first request to deploy service members with ID tags in 1899, following the conclusion of the Spanish-American War. Chaplain Charles C. To identify those wounded or killed in combat, Pierce, who oversaw the Army Morgue and Office of Identification, advised soldiers to wear circular disks.
Under soldiers’ field uniforms, the Army issued a general order requiring the wearing of aluminum disc-shaped ID tags in 1906. These identification tags were fastened to a string or chain and stamped with the name, rank, company, and regiment of the soldier.
Dog tags from the US Marine Corps monument are moved by Seaman Apprentice Anthony Manning, a hospital corpsman with the 7th Communication Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force, in September. 9, 2009, on Iwo Jima. US Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Monty Burton.
Hospital corpsman Anthony Manning, a Seaman Apprentice, transfers dog tags from the U.S. Army to the 7th Communication Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force. S. Marine Corps monument Sept. 9, 2009 on Iwo Jima. US Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Monty Burton.
According to Cucolo, “World War I was the time when many family members realized how important it was to bury the soldiers where they fell, even if it was on foreign soil.” “When Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt’s son, was killed, he asked that “where the tree falls, let it lie” While 47,000 Americans who served in this war were sent back to the country, 30,000 are buried in one of eight cemeteries in Europe. ”.
In 1917, during World War I, the ID tags were made necessary for all US combat personnel. Individual service branches had their own versions.
A preservationist at the National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri, in 2018 Louis had something taped to the lower corner of a World War II record that she discovered as he was working on it. The technician removed the unidentified object, a round dog tag, using a Holbein spatula to prevent the tape from damaging the document. Nelson Apple, a master sergeant in the Coast Artillery Corps, was the owner of this dog tag. He served in the Philippines during World War II, and in early 1942, he was taken prisoner and sent to the Cabanatuan POW camp, where he passed away from malaria. A few years after the soldier’s passing, a local Filipino found his identification tag; he sent it to the US War Department, where it was filed with Apple’s file and eventually made its way to the National Archives in St. Louis. Photo courtesy of the National Archives/Instagram.
A preservationist at the National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri, in 2018 Louis had something taped to the lower corner of a World War II record that she discovered as he was working on it. By World War II, the rounded rectangular tag we see today had been adopted, making a round dogtag a rare find. The technician removed the mystery object using a Holbein spatula to prevent the tape from damaging the document. Nelson Apple, a Master Sergeant in the Coast Artillery Corps, was the owner of this dog tag. In early 1942, he was captured while serving in the Philippines during World War II, and he was sent to the Cabanatuan POW camp, where he passed away from malaria. A few years after the soldier’s passing, a local Filipino found his identification tag; he sent it to the US War Department, where it was filed with Apple’s file and eventually made its way to the National Archives in St. Louis. Photo courtesy of the National Archives/Instagram.
The first tags were oval and made of Monel metal, a patented nickel-copper alloy with trace amounts of iron and manganese that resists corrosion. 25 inches wide and 1. A Naval History and Heritage Command article about the Navy’s version of dog tags claims that they are 5 inches long. “A single tag that was perforated at one end and wrapped in a cotton sleeve was to be worn around the neck on Monel wire.” ’”.
The right index finger’s fingerprint was etched on one side of the tag, and “U” was written on the other. S. N. ” and the sailor’s personal information.
One of more than 200 dog tags belonging to fallen service members who died while serving in the Middle East is placed on a memorial by Hull Maintenance Technician 1st Class Vincent Savage. Diana Quinlan, Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class, took this US Navy picture.
Vincent Savage, a Hull Maintenance Technician 1st Class, places a fallen sailor’s dog tag at the Veterans Middle East Memorial honoring service members who died while serving in the Middle East, one of more than 200 dog tags. Diana Quinlan, Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class, took this US Navy picture.
However, the US Navy stopped wearing dog tags after World War I. Identification tags were only issued “in time of war or other emergency, or when directed by competent authority, and shall be prepared and worn by all persons in the naval service,” according to a 1925 Navy personnel manual. ”.
The custom was revived during World War II, and each dog tag had the following information mechanically stamped on it: name, rank, service number, blood type, and religion.
Medal of Honor recipient and OV-10 pilot Captain’s replica dog tags Steven L. Bennett rest on a workstation at Hurlburt Field, Florida, Aug. 29, 2019. Bennett was awarded the Medal of Honor in June 1972 for his valiant actions while piloting an artillery adjustment mission in Vietnam. After the original dog tags vanished, Bennett’s daughter Angela Bennett-Engele received newly printed dog tags. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Lynette M. Rolen.
According to Katie Lange of the Department of Defense, “the Army began to transition from serial numbers to Social Security numbers by 1969.” That lasted for roughly 45 years until the Army started replacing the Social Security numbers on the tags with each soldier’s Defense Department identification number in 2015.
Even though dog tags are still a standard issue for US service members today, DNA analysis can still be used to identify anonymous remains. The Museum of the Forgotten Warrior outside of Beale Air Force Base in California has an outdoor exhibit with thousands of individual dog tags to pay tribute to those who died during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are 6,296 distinct dog tags in the Iraq/Afghanistan Dog Tag Memorial as of 2011.
The standardized 1940 identification tags underwent two changes in the early 1960s: the tetanus shot date was removed, and serial numbers were swapped out for Social Security numbers. Later, the information on the tag was updated to include the Marine’s gas mask size. The current layout for a Marine Corps identification tag is:
Identification tags are issued today as they were in 1916. They ensure that those who die in battle are buried properly and prove beyond a reasonable doubt who they are. The identification tag suspended from the Marine’s neck is always buried with the body in case it becomes necessary to separate the remains later on for transportation to a national or post cemetery or for shipment home. At the time of burial, the duplicate tag is removed and given to the doctor or person in charge of the burial. The commanding officer is informed of the same, as well as the cause of death and the date of death.
The tags must be worn as part of the uniform, and when not, they must be kept in the owner’s possession. The identification tags are regularly examined even when they are not being worn because they are thought of as a piece of the person’s equipment. Tags for officers are given out when they report for their first day of duty, and tags for recruits are stamped and given out at the recruit depots.
Information Found on Today’s Dog Tag
The name, branch of service (all but Army), serial number (often a Social Security or DoD ID number), blood type, and religious preference (if any) of the service member are now included on dog tags issued by the US military. The most crucial information required on the battlefield is this.
Notably, the Army is the only branch that no longer uses the Social Security Number on dog tags as of early 2016. They started using the DoD ID Number in Nov. 2015.
The information on dog tags should be kept private because many people can steal a service member’s identity just by knowing their name and Social Security number. Identity theft is a major issue that affects everyone, not just service members.
Before ordering a new set of dog tags, it’s critical to comprehend the function of dog tags and the information they contain. You can get them issued without charge if you are currently serving in the military and require a replacement set. You can obtain them from your personnel unit or be informed of where you can obtain a set by contacting them. These should only be used in the line of duty. Don’t display them at home or hang them from your car’s mirror. There is no need, and disclosing your personal information could be dangerous as well as unnecessary.
The military only issues dog tags to current servicemembers. They do not issue them to veterans. Additionally, if you ask for military records, the National Archives won’t provide replacement dog tags. They will only send copies of your military records.
So where do you buy them? There are many places that will make custom dog tags. You can find them on many military installations, military surplus stores, or at dozens of online stores, including USAMilitaryMedals.com.
Some soldiers tattooed their epitaphs on themselves to help them cope, while others made paper dog tags with their names on them or sewed them to clothing. Additionally, they wore necklaces with these identification symbols carved into coins or pieces of wood. When there was no established official procedure, it was their way of helping the living.
During the Civil War, American service members worried how their bodies would be properly identified if they were killed in action: a fair concern, considering more than 40% of the Civil War dead remain unidentified.
Dog tags from the US Marine Corps monument are moved by Seaman Apprentice Anthony Manning, a hospital corpsman with the 7th Communication Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force, in September. 9, 2009, on Iwo Jima. US Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Monty Burton.
“By 1969, the Army began to transition from serial numbers to Social Security numbers,” Katie Lange of the Department of Defense writes. “That lasted about 45 years until 2015, when the Army began removing Social Security numbers from the tags and replacing them with each soldier’s Defense Department identification number.
A preservationist at the National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri, in 2018 Louis had something taped to the lower corner of a World War II record that she discovered as he was working on it. By World War II, the rounded rectangular tag we see today had been adopted, making a round dogtag a rare find. The technician removed the mystery object using a Holbein spatula to prevent the tape from damaging the document. Nelson Apple, a Master Sergeant in the Coast Artillery Corps, was the owner of this dog tag. In early 1942, he was captured while serving in the Philippines during World War II, and he was sent to the Cabanatuan POW camp, where he passed away from malaria. A few years after the soldier’s passing, a local Filipino found his identification tag; he sent it to the US War Department, where it was filed with Apple’s file and eventually made its way to the National Archives in St. Louis. Photo courtesy of the National Archives/Instagram.
FAQ
Do all military members get dog tags?
Generally, each soldier is allotted two dog tags. One of them is kept inside the soldier’s shoes, and the other is worn around the soldier’s neck as a chain. These dog tags are made up of T304 stainless steel.
Does the US Navy still use dog tags?
The U. S. Although the Navy no longer provides dog tags to its sailors, you can still order imitation mil-spec tags from us as replacements. Read more about the history of US Navy Dogtags.
What does the Navy use instead of dog tags?
The Navy Department Library. A metal identification tag bearing the wearer’s name, birthdate, enlistment date, and, in the case of an officer, rank and date of appointment will be worn by every officer and enlisted member of the United States Navy.
Should I wear a dog tag?
If your dog gets lost, having ID tags on them is crucial. There is a high likelihood that your dog will become lost, with one in three becoming lost at some point. A tag will alert people that your dog is a beloved member of the family and not a stray. This will get your help faster and home sooner.