- Tags are used to identify casualtiesImage by Flickr.com, courtesy of Beverly
The American Civil War (1861 to 1865) is the first recorded use of ID tags by the military. The tags' appearance was varied, based on the soldier's own preference and materials that were available. The 173rd Airborne states that in 1863, General Meade's troops wrote their names and the names of their units on paper tags that were pinned to their clothing. Other soldiers made tags from wood attached to a string and worn around their necks. Some soldiers pinned their names on all their belongings in the event they would have to be sent home. - Captain Richard W. Wooley reports in the December 1988 Quartermaster Professional Bulletin that Harper's Weekly Magazine sold mail order "Soldier's Pins." Like the paper tags created by soldiers, these silver or gold discs carried the solder's name and that of his unit. Vendors sometimes approached troops before the start of battle offering to sell them these ornate ID tags. Not all soldiers carried them.
- The US Army Quartermaster Foundation Bulletin of December 1988 says that Chaplain Charles C. Pierce is credited with the first official use of an "identity disc" as part of the kit soldiers received before going into combat. By 1913, the army required that all soldiers wear them, and four years later, every soldier who engaged in combat was required to wear these discs around their necks. By World War II, the circular discs were changed to the oblong shapes we see today and were referred to as "dog tags."
- Tags found around a soldier's neck stay with his remains.Tags found in places other than the soldier's neck are noted in the Record of Personal Effects of Deceased Personnel and placed in an effects bag, according to the 173rd Airborne Bulletin. Tags are removed only if the body is to be buried. The Graves Registration personnel make every effort to identify casualties. If remains are unidentified, a duplicate set of tags is made with "unidentified" printed on each. One is buried with the individual in the temporary plot and the other is used during the burial procedure to mark the grave as having an unidentified soldier. In the event the remains are moved, the grave tag is added to the matching tag that is with the soldier.
- The Department of the Army's newest technology uses a microchip to store 80 percent of a soldier's medical and dental information. Colonel Jeffrey Thompson of Libertyville, Illinois, says that soldiers now carry these ID cards or "Individually Carried Records." Rather than supplant present dog tags, the cards are meant to provide paperless information. Today's dog tags are stamped with the soldier's name, unit, date of birth, social security number, religious preference and blood type.
- The Mortuary Affairs Center of the Armed Forces is dedicated to providing accurate casualty reports. Technology and careful record keeping has allowed a near perfect identification record of fallen soldiers as compared to the 58 percent rate made during the Civil War. Colonel Thompson says that all soldiers' DNA is on file to provide even more accurate identification if needed. Soldiers are reminded how vital the act of wearing tags can be. In the event of a casualty, the tags "speak" for the soldiers.
