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Identification tags have been a part of the military for a very long time. The first unofficial (i.e. not issued by the government) identification tags were used in the Civil War. Many soldiers feared that if they were killed, they would be buried in an unknown soldier grave - a fate that happened to more than 40% of the Civil War casualties. These early identification tags were mostly paper and used to mark all a soldier's belongings. Some more skilled soldiers made tags out of wood and worn around the neck.
The value of these identification tags caught on like wildfire amongst the military rank and file but it wasn't until World War I that "dog tags" became an official part of a soldier's uniform.
The first dog tags were oval, of Monel metal, 1.25 inches wide and 1.5 inches long. Perforated at one end, a single tag was to be worn around the neck on Monel wire "encased in a cotton sleeve." One side of the tag bore an etched print of the right index finger. The other side was stamped "U.S.N." and etched with the individual's personal information. Officers' tags bore initials and surname; rank; and date of appointment, in numerals denoting month, day and year (e.g., 1.5.16). Enlisted tags bore initials and surname, with date of enlistment and date of birth, in numerals as on officers' tags.
After WWI, the requirement for dog tags fell out of favor and did not come back into mandatory use until the onset of World War II. The new tags continued to be made of Monel metal, 1.25 by 1.5 inches, but were now perforated at each end. The face of each tag was to bear the individual's name; officer rank or enlisted service number; blood type; if vaccinated for tetanus, the letter "T" with date in numerals (e.g., 8/40); and service (USN, USMC, USNR, USMCR). A right index fingerprint was etched on the reverse.
As World War II went on, the military prescribed the use of a second tag, individually suspended by a short length of chain so that one tag could be removed "on death or capture, leaving the other in place." Dimensions remained the same, but the tag was to be of "corrosion-resisting material" - 17 percent chromed steel, perforated at each end, and the etched fingerprint was omitted. Markings consisted of name; officer file number, or enlisted service number; blood type; date of tetanus inoculation; service; and religion, if desired by the service member: Catholic (C), Protestant (P), or "Hebrew" (H). When a service member was buried, ashore or at sea, one tag was to be left with the body and the other sent to BuPers "as soon as practicable under the circumstances."
Post-World War II tags were worn on a bead chain, with attached short loop for the second tag. They bore name (surname, followed by initials); service number; service; blood type; and religion, if desired by the individual.
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