Dog Tag History: How the Tradition & Nickname Started
The small oval disks on a chain worn by service soldiers to identify themselves in war are known as dog tags. Have you ever wondered how this traditional and unique dog tag started? Continue reading and learn more about its story.
‘Dog Tag’ Nickname History
William Randolph Hearst is credited with coining the term “dog tag,” according to the Army Historical Foundation. Hearst’s goal in 1936 was to weaken public support for FDR’s New Deal. He had heard that the Social Security Administration was considering distributing nameplates as a kind of personal identification for its new members. To describe them, Hearst reportedly called them “dog tags,” like those worn by soldiers.
Draftees who said they were treated like dogs during World War II may have given them the term “dog tags,” according to legend. According to another rumor, the tags were chosen because they resembled the metal tags seen on dog collars.
Whatever the origins of the nickname, the idea of an identifying tag dates way back.
Fears During Civil War
During the Civil War, troops feared no one would be able to identify them if they died. They feared unmarked graves, so they took precautions. Some wore stencils or paper tags. Others used money or lead or copper balls. According to the Marine Corps, several men cut their names into wood chunks.
It was available to anyone who could pay for it and received customized, laser-engraved metal tags from non-government sources. John Kennedy offered to engrave thousands of disks for soldiers in 1862, but the War Department declined.
More than 40% of Union Army dead were unidentifiable at the war’s end. Consider this: Nearly 13,000 unknown remains exist in Vicksburg National Cemetery. It is the biggest Army Morgue and Office of Identification in the Philippines Union cemetery in the U.S.
The conflict proved that concerns about identity were justified, and ID disks became popular.
The Time It Became Official
The first desire for ID tags occurred after the Spanish-American conflict in 1899. It was suggested that every soldier be issued circular disks to help identify those who were critically injured or killed during combat by Charles C. Pierce an Army Chaplain who commanded the Army Morgue and Office of Identification while stationed in the Philippines.
In 1906, the Army ordered soldiers to wear aluminum disc-shaped ID badges. Half-dollar tags bearing a soldier’s name, rank, regiment, company, or corps were worn around the neck. Field uniform tags were worn.
In July 1916, a second disc was required to be suspended from the first by a short chain. The first tag stayed with the body, while the second was for burial records. Officers had to buy the tags, but enlisted men received them.
Navy ID tags weren’t required until 1917, when all U.S. combat personnel wore them. The tags included each man’s Army-issued serial number and exact size measurements. At the end of World War I, American troops in Europe were given religious insignia to wear: C for Catholic, P to represent Protestantism, and H for Hebrew.
Wearing Dog Tag Pendant Today
You don’t need a fashion guide to wear dog tags for men because they’re a fashionable jewelry alternative. There are a variety of interpretations of the tag that has been around for a long time and is still popular today.
When it comes to men’s fashion accessories, dog tag necklaces are a hit since they fit the bill.
You will seldom see dog tags worn at a wedding, but they’re entirely acceptable outside more formal settings. Wear them to the beach or out to dinner with friends in board shorts. A blazer over a shirt or a plain white T-shirt is a classic way to show off your Silver Stainless Steel Dome ID Tag Pendant on a night out.
