Posted on 09/24/2002 11:50:08 PM PDT by Snow Bunny
Dog Tags Arlington National Cemetary is not the only resting place for "Unknown Soldiers." Countless American soldiers have died defending our way of life throughout the history of this great nation; many of their graves are marked with a single word,"unknown." The American Civil War (1861-1865) provided the first recorded incident of American soldiers making an effort to ensure that their identities would be known should they be killed on the battlefield. 42% of all Civil War dead remain unknown. Their methods varied, and all were taken on by the soldier's own initiative. In 1863, before the battle of Mine's Run in northern Virginia, troops wrote their names and units on paper tags and pinned them to their clothing. Many soldiers took great care in marking all of their personal belongings. Some troops made their own id tags out of wood, boring a hole in an end so that they could be worn on a string. The commercial sector saw the demand for an identificatuion method and provided products. Harpers Weekly Magazine advertised "Soldier's Pins" which could be mail ordered. Made of silver or gold, these pins were inscribed with an individual's name and unit designation. Private vendors who followed troops also offered id tags for sale just prior to battles. Soldiers also fashioned tags out of coins by scraping one side smooth and engaving or stamping name and unit.
Despite the fact that fear of being listed amoung the unknowns was a real concern among the rank and file, no reference to an official issue of identification tags by the Federal Government exists from the Civil War. The first official advocacy of issuing id tags took place in 1899. Chaplain Charles C. Pierce recommended that a "identity disc"be included in the standard combat field kit, though the first official introduction of one tag didn't happen until December of 1906. The Army Regulations of 1913 made a identification tag mandatory. In July of 1916 a second tag was added, and by 1917 all combat troops wore aluminum discs on rope or chain. In February of 1918 the official introduction of Serial Numbers started.
Next in the evolution of dog tags came what is known as the Navy/Marine style of tag (as seen above) a more oblong shape with more uniform printing. First made of brass and then a "Monel" metal (a patented corrosion-resistant alloy of nickel and copper, melded with small amounts of iron and manganese ) proved to be more corrosion resistant. In October of 1938 the start of tests for a new identification tags started, and by 1940 it was adopted.
By the early 70's the "notch" was removed to the present day tag. The United States Armed Forces is currently developing and testing a new tag , which will hold 80% of a soldiers medical and dentail records on a mircochip known by several names: The Individually Carried Record, Meditag, The Tactical Medical Coordination System and Personal Information Carriers (PIC). It is not intended to replace the present tag, but rather to augment it as part of the "paperless battlefield" concept.
Tags from Other Countries
Dog Tag Chains There have been several different types of chains used during the evolution of the U.S. dog tag, every thing from shoe laces to the current ball chain.
The Military has come a long way from |
Hi Allyson Hi Jonah
Navy plane directors assist the landiing of an F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet strike fighter returning from a mission over Afghanistan to the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier deployed in the Arabian Sea for operation "Enduring Freedom" Tuesday Sept. 24, 2002. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
A F-14 Tomcat fighter interceptor takes off for a reconnaissance mission over Afghanistan from the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier deployed in the Arabian Sea for operation "Enduring Freedom" Tuesday Sept. 24,
A launch and recovery crewman carries a hose in preparation for landings of jet fighters returning from missions over Afghanistan to the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier deployed in the Arabian Sea for operation "Enduring Freedom" Tuesday Sept. 24, 2002. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
A F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet strike fighter takes off for a mission over Afghanistan from the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier deployed in the Arabian Sea for operation "Enduring Freedom" Tuesday Sept. 24, 2002
That is MY hope, also. I realize that many times, these photos are taken, & the subjects IN the photo probably never get to see them, at least published somewhere (STARS & STRIPES?). I hope that they, (at least) can hear from a ship-mate, or perhaps, a good friend, or, the BEST scenerio, from their parents or wife, back here in the States, to know that there are some us out in cyber-land, that ARE very involved with their mission, concerned about them, and pray for them.
I will do my best to make sure that our young men & women, serving in our Armed Forces, will NOT be forgotten!
That's why I do this, nothing more.
Tom
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.