From Canines to Men

By Abigail Whitcher

Today, they’re a modern commodity that are available at any pet store, super store or military surplus outlet, and hold a variety of purposes, from military to medical and function to fashion. But whether they are used for man or man’s best friend, they will still bear the same name.

The use of metal dog tags in the military began in World War I. Before then, it was usually a slip of paper, a badge or, in the case of 19^th century China, wood. And the original name was plainly “identification tags,” which is still the correct term seeing as “dog tags” is not part of any regulations.

But where did the term “dog tags” come from? Well, it’s a lot simpler than you might think – and it is a bit of no-brainer. The colloquial term was picked up in the mid-20^th century during World War II. It is coined after the identification tags worn by dogs because of the resemblance in shape, size, and information.

           

“There are common misconceptions to the tags. And they didn’t look like this [circular on strings] when I got mine,” said Kent Rodebaugh, a veteran from the Air Force after 30 years.

The misconception mentioned is the famous myth that dog tags were notched to be stuck between a soldier’s teeth when they died. That is not true though. The real reason for the notch is simply because it was a result of the machine programming.

There’s a lot more to the history of dog tags. To check it out, visit warhistoryonline.com, armydogtags.com, or simply Google it.