Every military personnel gets issued two dog tags, one with a short chain and one with a long chain
. The reasons for having those different chain lengths is significant. After a soldier is killed in battle, fellow soldiers or officers can use the two tags to mark the body.
Civilians can legally wear dog tags
. Yet, attempting to use the dog tags for personal gain may be considered an act of stolen valor, which is a punishable offense. Some veterans and active military members may consider it disrespectful, while others do not care.
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. During World War II, the military dog tags history did not change much. Dog tags became part of the uniform and they evolved into the size and shape they are today.
The U.S. 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
.
Traditional U.S. Military Dog Tag Formats
Depending on the branch of service and other variables, SSNs may still be required, but this feature is likely on the way out for all branches of service
. The United States Army has transitioned away from SSNs in favor of a randomly generated ID number.
Because dog tags are issued to military members for identification purposes only,
there is no provision for getting replacement dog tags for former service members from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard
.
The move safeguarded soldiers’ personally identifiable information and helped protect against identity theft. Considerable technological advances have come along since Vietnam, including the ability to use DNA to identify remains. But despite these advancements,
dog tags are still issued to service members today
.
Today’s identification tags identify vital information about the wearer:
name, Social Security number, blood type and religious preference
. During World War II there were only three religious categories that could be put on dog tags: P for Protestant, C for Catholic and H for Hebrew (Jewish).
Dog Tags are ideal for Police Officers
, SWAT Teams, Firefighters, Paramedics, EMTs, Search and Rescue, Disaster Response Teams, Public Works, and other trained professionals.
Its function was
to transfer the wounded soldier’s identification information directly from his dog tags to his medical records
(see above graphic). The notch in the dog tag would align and hold the tag securely in the “Addressograph”.
Generally,
each soldier is allotted two dog tags
. One of them is worn at the neck as a chain and the other is kept inside the shoes of the soldier.
123-45-6789. Blood Type. A POS.
Religious Preference
. PROTESTANT.
Identification tags, more commonly known as dog tags,
have been used by the Marine Corps since 1916
. They serve to identify Marines who fall in battle and secure a suitable burial for them. Identification tags were probably first authorized in Marine Corps Order Number 32 of 6 October 1916.
Army format tags are formally issued to personnel of the U.S. Army, Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Department of the Army (DA) civilians overseas, and other authorized civilian personnel
.
The U.S. Navy no longer issues Dog Tags to its sailors
, however you can still order replica mil-spec tags as replacements from us.
How to order replacement military dog tags? Contrary to popular belief, once you are issued your dog tags from your branch of service that is the only set you will receive from the military.
If you would like a replacement set, you will need to do a “Google Search” for a private vendor who will create a set for you
.
If you are currently serving in the military and need a replacement set, you can get them issued at no cost.
Contact your personnel unit and they can issue them to you or tell you where you can get a set issued
. These should only be used in the line of duty.
Bright RED Dog Tags
to help signal to emergency personnel that you have drug Allergies or Medical Conditions
.
Does the military still use flamethrowers?
Flamethrowers have not been in the U.S. arsenal since 1978, when the Department of Defense unilaterally stopped using them
— the last American infantry flamethrower was the Vietnam-era M9-7. They have been deemed of questionable effectiveness in modern combat.
If you are currently serving in the military and need a replacement set, you can get them issued at no cost.
Contact your personnel unit and they can issue them to you or tell you where you can get a set issued
. These should only be used in the line of duty.
Does the military still use bayonets?
In 2010, the Army began to scale back on bayonet drills in favor of calisthenics, perhaps a wise move given that the soldiers rarely carry bayonets on their rifles, and since the last U.S. bayonet charge was in 1951.
Others, however, have still found use for the bayonet charge in recent years.
How do I get a DoD number?
This number can
usually be found on the back of your Common Access Card
. If it’s not listed there, log into DoD ID Card Office Online [osd.mil] and locate it under the “My Profile” section. Save your DoD ID Number to your profiles.
Can civilians salute military?
“
Civilian personnel, to include civilian guards, are not required to render the hand salute to military personnel or other civilian personnel
. “Salutes are not required to be rendered or returned when the senior or subordinate, or both are in civilian attire.”
Special Forces Dogtags ⚔ Black Dog Tags are used by Special Operations forces such as the Army Rangers, Navy Seals, Green Berets, Commandos, and Delta Force.
Black Dog Tags were mandated by a regulation on January 15, 1967 of the United States Army, Vietnam (USARV)
.
