Todays Dog Tags

Archive for the ‘History’ Category

In one form or another, have been worn for identification purposes for centuries. In the United States, during the Civil War, there are records of soldiers wearing notes pinned to their coats that depicted their names and addresses. There were even some soldiers who took the identification process a step further and stenciled the pertinent identification information on their knapsacks or scratched it in lead on the back of their Army belt buckle. As a result, someone was perceptive and realized there was a need for identification tags and started manufacturing them. The tags were then advertised in magazines and newspapers.

Since the tags were used in the line of military duty, manufacturers started to create them in the shape of a branch of military service and engraved them with the soldier’s name and unit.

The tags were also machine stamped and made of either brass or lead with a hole punched on the top. One side of the tag usually contained an eagle or shield and slogans such as “Liberty, Union and Equality.” The reverse side of the tag listed the soldier’s name, unit and oftentimes a list of the soldier’s battles.

During the Spanish-American War soldiers bought simple identification tags. The I.D. tags were first sanctioned by the U.S. Army in December of 1906. The tag then became a required part of the uniform of any officer and enlisted man of the Army. The tag was to be worn around the neck suspended by a cord or thong passing through a small hole in the tag, and placed underneath the clothing. The tag was described as an aluminum identification tag, the size of a half dollar coin piece and depicted the name, rank, company, regiment or corps of the wearer. When the tag was not worn, it was to be kept in the possession of its owner.

As of 1916, all men in the Army were issued two tags: one to stay with the body and one for record-keeping purposes that would go to the person in charge of the burial.

In 1918 the serial number was adopted so that the tags would have stamped on them the man’s name and a serial number.

For identification purposes, the Army started using the person’s Social Security number in 1969.

The tags used in WWII had a notch on the side of the tag. The purpose of the notch was so that the tag would be held in place on the embossing machine. However, over the years a myth developed about the notch. It was rumored that the tag contained a notch so that if a soldier discovered the body of one of his buddies he would take one of the tags to his commanding officer and kick the other between the teeth of the soldier to make certain that the tag would stay in the body making identification easier to establish.

Since the clanking of the metal dog tags could alert the enemy to the soldier’s location, U.S. soldiers have been required, in recent years, to affix rubber silencers to their dog tags.

During the height of the Cold War in which the United States was concerned about nuclear attack, all children in New York City’s public schools were issued dog tags.

The Army recently started referring to these dog tags as “I.D. tags.” In fact, it is rumored that some soldiers objected to the term “dog tags” as being offensive, although this has not been confirmed. At any rate, the term “I.D. tags” does seem more appropriate.