The U.S. entrance into World War I (1914-1918) in 1917 sped up the production and issuance of the identification tags to ensure all service members, killed or wounded, were accurately identified and accounted for on the field of battle. During World War I, military service members began wearing two identification tags–one remained attached to the body of the deceased while the second was used to mark the coffin or the grave site, often where they fought and died.
Today, the issuance of military dog tags remains an important component of military culture, but reliance on dog tags is more symbolic as technology advances. The dog tags are still stamped with important information (name, serial/social security number, blood type and religious preference), but the military uses medical/dental records and DNA sampling to positively identify deceased military service members. To note, the first identification tags were brass and later a corrosion-resistant alloy of nickel and copper. Today, military dog tags are made of stainless steel. As technology advances so have the materials and processes used to properly identify America’s service members and return them home with honor.
During the 1950s, the two dog tags were detailed to each service member for a specific purpose regarding accountability. One identification tag was placed on a long chain, while the second was hung on a shorter chain. Upon death, the identification tag on the shorter chain was placed around the toe of the deceased, thus the nickname “toe tag” was given to this identification tag. The other dog tag was to either remain with the deceased or collected, as time permitted, by survivors to report back the name of the deceased.
Then later, during the Vietnam War (1955-1975), military service members began to place one custom dog tag in their boot, tied in with their bootlaces. The thought was if their body was dismembered to an extent they were unidentifiable, the dog tag in the boot helped with the recovery of their remains.
On December 20, 1906, by General Order #204, the United States government decided upon a circular aluminum disc to be worn as an identification tag, and by 1913 the identification discs were required for all military service members. An aluminum disc the size of a silver half dollar–imprinted with the name, rank, company, regiment or corps, worn by both officer and enlisted member in the field–suspended around the neck.
Then of course there is the military dog tags history that military personnel know. Many believe that the term dog tag was a nickname that World War II military draftees called them because the draftees joked that they were treated like dogs. Another military rumor in military dog tags history is that they looked like tags on a dog’s collar. But while the term “dog tag” seems to have caught on around World War II, the concept of identifying soldiers originated long before World War II.
By 1906, the Army required that dog tags be worn by soldiers and thus the Army ushered in a new chapter in military dog tags history. The dog tags were stamped with a soldiers name, rank, company and regiment or corps. The tags were worn around the neck with the field uniform, secured by a chain or cord.
The American military, like American culture, has plenty of tall tales, myths and legends. Americans, especially American soldiers, can spin a yarn like nobody else. It makes the military culture, and the people in it, more colorful and robust.
In 1917, when the U.S. Navy required all their sailors wear dog tags, the War Department finally mandated that all American combat troops have dog tags. The tags included the service member’s serial number and religious denomination to help with the disposition of remains. The Army, Navy and Marine Corps all had their own variety of dog tags, but the service branches were now a part of military dog tags history.
As previously mentioned in this post, at one point in military dog tags history, dog tags had notches on them. Despite the untrue reasoning for this notch covered in a previous Depot Blog post, the notches existed because of the type of machine used to create them and by the 1970s, those machines became obsolete and the notched dog tags assumed their rightful place in military dog tags history.
While dog tags have changed significantly since they were first instituted back in the early 1900s, their practicality has been doubtless helpful in identifying those who have been lost in combat. Further, the number of links on each chain serves another practical purpose. The longer chain containing 365 beads and the shorter containing 24; this can be used as a makeshift calendar if someone is held as a prisoner of war.
You may be intimately familiar with every detail of your dog tag. You may know precisely how much it weighs, all the information printed on it, and in what order it’s published, whether or not one side is slightly rougher due to age.
But it’s possible that you don’t know much about the history of dog tags. There’s no shame in that; dog tags have an exciting history. While far too in-depth to list the entire history here, this article will give you some basic information about where the idea for dog tags came from, how they got the name and some changes in the history of dog tags.
While the first identification tags were unofficial, the US government soon understood the value of ID; almost half of the Union soldiers who died in combat were unidentified. The numbers are particularly stark; The Vicksburg National Cemetery serves as the resting place for over 17,000 soldiers. Around 75 percent of those soldiers are unknown Union soldiers.
The armed forces didn’t begin using identification tags in an official capacity until December of 1906. The Army put out an order for aluminum disks that contained each soldier’s basic information to be worn by its members. The rest of the military followed suit, and by 1917, all combat troops were wearing dog tags.
What are dog tags
The dog tags worn by soldiers in the Vietnam war and other wars throughout the years are a recognizable symbol of the American GI.
As memorable as they are, many people do not understand their meaning or why soldiers wear them.
Dog tags are much more than just military identification and a memento of a soldier’s service.
From the day of their inception, these bits of metal hold the important responsibility of helping to get fallen soldiers home again should the worst happen while in active duty.