Every US soldier was issued a set of Dog Tags and
instructed to wear them at all times.
A set consisted out of a long ball-chain with one Dog Tag, and a small ball-chain
with a second Dog Tag, attached to the first chain.
When somebody was KIA, one Dog Tag (normally the one on the small ball chain)
was removed for further processing by CO's report. One complete Dog Tag remained
with the body at all times for immediate ID.
In comparison: the German Dogtag was to be 'broken' into two halves and contained
some information on the soldiers outfit (i.e. SS).
The US Dog Tag was stamped by a special machine which
had a reel of numeric and alphabetic characters, just like typewriter.
Information on the Dog Tag;
| 1). | Name | i.e. | John Smith |
| 2). | Serial Number | i.e. | 3325447 |
| 3). | Date of Tetanus Shot | i.e. | T43 |
| 4). | Blood Type | i.e. | O or A |
| 5). | Religion | i.e. | P or C |
The US Dog Tag did not give away any information
on rank, unit or special skills.
During action (patrols, Out Post-duty etc.) the tags used to be taped
or bound together, so the sound of 'tinkling' Dog Tags wouldn't give someone's
position away.
The shown Dog Tag was found in a field near Slijk Eeuwijk in August 2002. We have no further information on this US Soldier…
