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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^[1] and history of inoculations. Dog tags are usually fabricated from a corrosion-resistant metal or alloy such as aluminum, monel or stainless-steel, although during war-time they have been made from whatever metals were available. 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.

Dog tag tattoos, alternately known as "meat tags" are growing in popularity for active U.S. soldiers. These are tattoos that are usually featured on the torso, and can be used for identification in case the deceased is otherwise unidentifiable.^[2]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Franco-Prussian War 1.2 First World War 1.3 World War II 1.4 Vietnam 2 Non-military wear 3 National variations 3.1 Australia 3.2 Belgium 3.3 Canada 3.4 Cyprus 3.5 Denmark 3.6 Finland 3.7 Germany 3.8 Greece 3.9 Hungary 3.10 Israel 3.11 The Netherlands 3.12 Norway 3.13 Poland 3.14 Russia 3.15 Singapore 3.16 Sweden 3.17 Switzerland 3.18 United Kingdom 3.19 United States 3.19.1 US military ID tag ball chain specifications and lore 4 Notes 5 External links

[edit] History

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 recognized 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.

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.

[edit] Franco-Prussian War

The Prussian Army issued identification tags for its troops at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. They were nicknamed Hundemarken ("marks on dogs" or "dog marks") and compared to a similar identification system instituted for dogs in the Prussian capital city of Berlin at about the same time.^[3]

[edit] First World War

The British Army and their Imperial forces in Canada, Australia and New Zealand issued identification tags from the beginning of the First World War. The tags were made of fibre, one in red and one in green and suspended around the neck by butcher's twine. The same pattern was worn into the Second World War and the Korean War by Commonwealth forces.

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 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. Crane of Chicago in the course of his fifth enlistment period.) In 1969 the Army began transitioning (Servicemen were issued both a SSN and SN) to the Social Security number for personnel identification. Some nations (e.g. Germany) had instead a single tag with identical information stamped on both sides of it, which could easily be broken off for the purpose of record-keeping.

[edit] World War II

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 stick 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.^[4]

As a side note, it appears instructions that would confirm this myth were issued at least unofficially during the Vietnam war to Army troops headed overseas.^[5]

Following World War II, 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.

[edit] Vietnam

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 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. Service members 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.

[edit] Non-military 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 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. Some are also used for health problems such as heart problems or epilepsy.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association offers dog tags with bible verses on them and steps to converting others to Christianity.

[edit] National variations

[edit] Australia

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.

[edit] Belgium

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

• Lower half: identical.ses

[edit] Canada

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:^[6]

• 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.

[edit] Cyprus

In Cyprus, identification tags include the following information

• Surname
• First Name
• Service Number (eg. 11111/00/00B where the first numbers are the ID / the second two are the year you closed 18 years old / the last 2 numbers are the year you enlisted and the letter either A or B is the enlistment group)
• Blood Group

[edit] Denmark

Danish dog tags are a small metallic plate, designed to be broken in two. The information on the tag is:

1. Personal identification number
2. Last name
3. First name

On the right hand side of the tag it says 'Danmark' - the Danish word for Denmark

[edit] Finland

Finnish dog tags are also designed to be broken in two, however the only text on it is the personal identification number excluding letters "SF" within a tower stamped atop of upper half, letters standing for Suomi Finland.

[edit] Germany

German Bundeswehr ID tags are an oval-shaped disc designed to be broken in half. Both sides contain different Informations, which are mirrored upside-down on the lower half of the ID tag. They feature the following information on segmented and numbered fields:

On the frontside

• Field 1: blank
• Field 2: DEU (for "Deutschland" / until 90s GE for Germany )
• Field 3: Religious preference (usually "rk" for Roman Catholic, or "ev" for Protestant)
• Field 4: Personenkennziffer (service number: birth date in DDMMYY format, dash, capitalized first letter of last name, dash, and five-digit number based on soldier's home military administrative district), ex. 101281-S-45568

on the backside

• Field 5: Blood group (ABO)
• Field 6: Rhesus factor
• Field 7: Vaccination Status
• Fields 8 - 10: blank

[edit] Greece

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).

[edit] Hungary

There are two variations of the Hungarian army dog tags. The most common version is made out of steel forming a 25x35 mm tag with the possibility to split in half. Both sides contain the same information, the soldier's personal identity code, blood group and the word HUNGARIA. Some may not have the blood group on them though. These are only issued to soldiers who are serving outside of the country. If the soldier should die, one side is removed and kept for the army's official records while the other side is left attached to the body.

The other type is similar to the United States Army dog tags. Two separate tags, one on a larger chain and the other on a shorter one attached to the larger chain. This contains the name, rank, unit and blood group of the soldier. These ones are less common.

[edit] Israel

Israeli dog tags are designed to be broken in two. the information appears in three lines (twice):

1. Army identification number ("mispar ishi", literally: personal number. A seven digit number that is different from the nine digit identification number for citizens).
2. Last name
3. First Name

In case of capture, Israeli soldiers are instructed to provide the information that appears on the dog tag and their rank only. Another dog tag is kept inside the military boot in order to identify dead soldiers.

[edit] The Netherlands

The Dutch Armed Forces' identity tags, like the Canadian and Norwegian ones, are designed to be broken in two, in case of fatality; the lower half is returned to Dutch Defence Headquarters, while the upper half remains on the body. There is a difference in the Army and Airforce service number and the Navy service number:

• Army number is made up by the date of birth: YY.MM.DD. and a 3-digit number, e.g. 83.01.15.654
• Navy number is made up out of random 5- or 6-digit numbers.

The tags contain the following information:

• Upper half:
  • Name and family name
  • Service Number
  • Nationality (NL) and religion
  • Blood group with RH factor

• Lower half: identical.

[edit] Norway

Norwegian dog tags are designed to be broken in two like the Canadian version:

• The top half containing the nationality, the eleven digit birth number and the blood type.
• The bottom half contains the nationality, birth number and has a hole so the broken off half can be hung on a ring.

[edit] Poland

The first dog tags were issued in Poland following the order of the General Staff of December 12, 1920. The earliest design (dubbed kapala in Polish, more properly called "kapsel legitymacyjny" or "ID cap") consisted of a tin-made rectangle frame 30 by 50 milimetres and a rectangle cap fitting into the frame. Soldiers' details were filled in a small ID card placed inside the frame, as well as on the inside of the frame itself. The dog tag was similar to the tags used by Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I. In case the soldier died, the frame was left with his body, while the lid was returned to his unit together with a note on his death. The ID card was handed over to the chaplain or the rabbi.

In 1928 a new type of dog tag was proposed by gen. bryg. Stanisław Rouppert, Poland's representative at the International Red Cross. It was slightly modified and adopted in 1931 under the name of Nieśmiertelnik wz. 1931 (literally Immortalizer mark 1931). The new design consisted of an oval piece of metal (ideally steel, but in most cases aluminium alloy was used), roughly 40 by 50 milimetres. There were two notches on both sides of the tag, as well as two rectangular holes in the middle to allow for easier breaking the tag in two halves. The halves contained the same set of data and were identical, except the upper half had two holes for a string or twine to go through. The data stamped on the dog tag included:

• Obverse
  • Name
  • Surname
  • Optionally: abbreviation of soldiers' religion (KAT for Roman Catholics, GR-KAT for Greek Catholics, PRAW for Orthodox, MOJ for Jewish, AUG for Lutherans, ANG for Anglicans and MAH for Muslims)
• Reverse
  • Soldiers' ID card number and first letter of the powiat the soldier came from
  • name of the Recruitment Commission (usually name of the town or city the soldier was attached to)
  • Year of birth

Sometimes the rank of the soldier was added to the reverse and most members of the medical corps had a tiny cross stamped near the string holes, regardless of their religion.

[edit] Russia

Russian Armed Forces use dog tags with only "ВС РОССИИ" (Russian: Russian Armed Forces) and the unique serviceman ID on it. Each soldier receives two identical dog tags, issued by either the military commissariat or his home station.

Before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Red Army used dog tags similar to modern Russian ones but with "ВС СССР" (Russian: USSR Armed Forces) engraved upon them.

[edit] Singapore

The Singapore Armed Forces-issued dog tags are inscribed (not embossed) with up to four items:

• NRIC number
• blood type
• religion
• drug allergies (if any; inscribed on the reverse)

The dog tags consist of two metal pieces, one oval with two holes, and one round with one hole. A synthetic lanyard is threaded through both holes in the oval piece, and tied around the wearer's neck. The round piece is tied to the main loop on a shorter loop.

When a soldier is killed in action, the round piece is removed by cutting the short loop with a bayonet, while the oval piece remains with the body.

[edit] Sweden

Swedish dog tags are designed to be able to break apart. The information on them is:

• Personal identity number (twice, once in the upper part and once below)
• Full name
• Place of birth
• Blood type

[edit] Switzerland

Swiss Armed Forces ID tags are oval-shaped and are designed to be broken in two. In case of fatality, the tag will be completely removed. They contain the following information:

• Social Insurance Number
• Surname
• First Name
• Date of birth in DD.MM.YY format

[edit] United Kingdom

UK Forces have the "Big 6" embossed on a circular tag, the Big 6 being:

• Blood Group
• Service Number
• Surname
• Initials
• Religion Uses a two-letter code: CE (Church of England; the official religion of England), OD (Other Denomination); etc.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] United States

US Armed Forces typically carry two identical oval tags containing:

U.S. Air Force Format 1:

• Surname, first name, middle initial
• Social Security Number, followed by "AF" indicating branch of service.
• Blood Group
• "blank"
• Religion

U.S. Air Force Format 2:

• Surname
• First name and middle initial
• Social Security Number, followed by "AF" indicating branch of service.
• Blood Group
• Religion

U.S. Marine Corps:

• Surname
• First and middle initials,blood group
• Social Security Number with no dashes and no spaces
• Branch ("USMC"),Gas Mask size (S-small, M-medium, L-large)
• Religious preference (or "NO PREFERENCE") or medical allergy if red medical tag.

U.S. Navy:

• Surname
• First name and middle initial
• Social Security Number with no dashes or spaces followed immediately by "USN", space, blood group
• "blank"
• Religion (or "NORELPREF" if none)

U.S. Army:

• Surname
• First name, middle initial
• Social Security Number
• Blood type
• Religion

U.S.Coast Guard:

• Surname, first name, middle initial
• Social Security Number with no dashes or spaces followed immediately by branch
• blood group
• "blank"
• Religion

Recently, the U.S. Army stopped using the term "Dog tags", replacing it with "I.D tags".

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.

[edit] US military ID tag ball chain specifications and lore

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2009)

Standard US military chains are issued with one, 2.5 mm, 24-inch neck chain, and one, 2.5 mm, 4-inch duplicate chain. The secondary chain, and duplicate tag, are recovered if needed. The primary chain and tag remain with the soldier at all times.

Ball Chain may be upgraded to 3 mm diameter by individual soldiers. Chains smaller than 2.5 mm and larger than 3 mm are not generally authorized due to the risk of breakage/loss or inability to recover the duplicate tag from larger chains.

Prisoner of War time-keeping utility: Dog Tag Ball Chains were clipped to length to help captured soldiers count time in the event they were captured. The large chain was counted to 365 ball links and the small chain was counted to 52 ball links. A soldier could then bite, or break-off one link each day from the large chain, and remove one link from the small chain each week. This accounted for one year of time before the cycle consumed the chain completely. No verified comparison between the standard 24" and 4" chain lengths and number of "beads" per length has been performed. The typical length of 365/52 however, is adequate for mounting and wearing standard I.D. tags.

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• "A Battlefield Souvenir?" - The Story of a Union Identity Disk in the Civil War´
• Captain Richard W. Wooley. "A Short History of Identification Tags". Quartermaster Professional Bulletin, December, 1988. Retrieved 12 September 2007
• A guide for Reenactors and Collectors
• Automated Metal Tag Embosser Video
• Paths of Glory Identity Tags 1914-18
• Paths of Glory Identity Tags 1939-45