 |
A
Dog
Tag is the informal name for
the identification tags worn by military personnel, because of their
resemblance to actual dog tags. The tag is primarily used for the
identification of dead and wounded along with providing essential basic
medical information for the treatment of the latter such as blood type and
history of inoculations. 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. Alternatively, 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. |
Recently, the US army
stopped calling the tags "Dog
tags" and adopted the more civilised "I.D tags". It
was rumoured that, in the
1990s, some enlisted trainees complained that the term "dog tag" was
offensive, but this has not been confirmed.
 |
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 stencilled identification on their
knapsacks or
scratched it in the soft lead backing of the Army belt buckle.
Manufacturers of
identification badges recognised a market and began
advertising in periodicals. Their pins were usually shaped to suggest a
branch of service and engraved with 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.
|
| Dog tags of a U.S. Army
soldier who served in World War II |
|
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 aluminium
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
soldiers 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 troops.
(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 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
rumoured 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.
In the Vietnam
War, American soldiers were allowed to place
rubber
silencers on their dog
tags so the enemy would not hear the metallic clanking. Others chose to tape
the two tags together with black tape. Still others chose to wear one tag
around the neck, and the other tag on the lace of one boot. All three
variations were commonly seen among U.S. troops.
Prior to the use of Social Security Numbers on dog tags
beginning in the
1960s, the military printed the individual's military service (or serial)
number.
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 hang from the rifle's handle or trigger
guard. Soldiers also often give them to loved ones before deployments or
when
dating, similar to the student practice of giving a sweetheart one's
letterman jacket or ring to wear.
 |
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 favourite 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. |
| Close-up of a teenager
wearing custom-made dog tags |
|
The Australian Defence Force issues soldiers with two
tags of different shape: Number 1 Tag (the octagonal shaped disc) and Number 2
Tag (the circular
disc). They are embossed with the title AS, the member's PMKeyS number,
initials and name, religion and blood group.
Belgian Forces identity tags are, like the Canadian and
Norwegian, designed to be broken in two in case of fatality; the lower half is
returned
to Belgian Defence Headquarters, while the upper half remains on the body.
The tags contain the following information:
- Upper half:
- Belgisch Leger (Belgian Army)
- Service Number
- Surname
- Gender
- Date of birth
- Religion and blood group with RH factor
Canadian Forces identity discs (abbreviated "I
discs") are designed to be broken in two in the case of fatality; the
lower half is returned to National
Defence Headquarters with the member's personal documents, while the upper
half remains on the body. The tags contain the following information:
- Upper half:
-
Service Number (SN)
- Initials and surname
- Religion and blood group with RH factor
- The legend "CDN FORCES CDN" (or for foreign nationals, the
name of the country the individual represents)
- The text "DO NOT REMOVE / NE PAS ENLEVER" on the
reverse
- Lower half: identical, except it does not contain the blood type, and
the reverse is blank.
Before the Service Number was introduced in the 1990s,
military personnel were identified on the I discs (as well as other documents)
by their
Social Insurance Number.
Danish dog tags are a little metallic plate to be broken in two. The
information on the tag is:
- Personal identification number
- Last name
- First name
On the right hand side of the tag it says Danmark - the Danish word for
Denmark.
German Bundeswehr ID tags are an oval-shaped disc
designed to be broken in half.
They feature the following information on segmented and numbered fields:
- Field 1: Blood group
- Field 2: DEU (for Germany)
- Field 3: Religious preference (usually "rk" for Roman
Catholic, or "ev" for Lutheran)
- Field 4: Personenkennziffer (service number: birth date in DDMMYY
format, dash, capitalised first letter of last name, dash, and five-digit
number based on soldier's home military administrative district), ex.
101281-S-45568
The information is mirrored upside-down on the lower half of the ID tag.
In Greece, identification tags include the following information
- Surname
- First Name
- Service Number (where date of birth is included as "class")
-
Blood Group
Not all corps are given ID tags in the Greek forces (for
example, soldiers in the engineer corps are not issued tags, while those in
the Infantry and
Artillery are).
Israeli dog tags are designed to be broken in two (the
bottom half has a hole so the broken off
half can be hung on a ring), the information appears in three lines
(twice):
- Army identification number ("mispar ishi", literally:
personal number. A
seven digit number that is different from the nine digit identification
number for citizens).
- Last name
- First Name
In case of capture, Israeli soldiers are instructed to
provide the information that appears on the dog tag and their rank only.
Finnish dog tags are also designed to be broken in two,
however the only text on it is the personal identification number.
Norwegian dog tags are designed to be broken in two like the Canadian
version:
- The top half containing the nationality, date of birth, social
security number and the bloodtype.
- The bottom half contains the nationality, date of birth, social
security number and has a hole so the broken off half can be hung on a
ring.
UK Forces have the "Big 6" embossed on a circular tag, the Big 6
being:
- Surname
- Initials
- Service Number
- Date of birth (confirmation needed: those issued in 2004-2005 did not,
2003 Op Telic tags did)
- Blood Group
- Religion
US Armed Forces typically carry two identical oval tags containing:
-
USAF Format 1:
- Surname, first name, middle initial
- Social Security Number, followed by "AF" indicating branch
of service.
- Blood Group
- "blank"
- Religion
-
USAF Format 2:
- Surname
- First name and middle initial
- Social Security Number, followed by "AF" indicating branch
of service.
-
Blood Group
- Religion
-
USMC:
- Surname
- First name, middle initial (sometimes just first and last initial),
blood group
- Social Security Number with no dashes, but spaced
- Branch ("USMC")
- Gas
mask size
- Religious preference (or "NO PREFERENCE") or medical
allergy if red
medical tag.
-
US Navy:
- Surname, first name, middle initial
- "blank"
- Social Security Number with no dashes or spaces followed immediately
by branch
blood group
- "blank"
- Religion
-
US Army:
- Surname
- First name, middle initial
- Social Security Number
- Blood type
- Religion
Recently, the army stopped calling the tags "Dog
tags" and adopted the more civilised "I.D tags". It was
rumoured that, in the 1990s, some enlisted
trainees complained that the term "dog tag" was offensive, but
this has not been confirmed.
US Forces are also permitted to wear a small religious medallion, usually
provided for them, on the smaller chain (e.g. a cross or
Star of David). This provides a quick, easily identifiable reference for a
chaplain should his services be required.
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