Identification Tag and Cover
date: label: issued
content: 1944
notes: label: Description
content: Physical Description
label: Description
content: Metal tag imprinted "Mary A. Millian" on a chain. Green yarn crocheted cover.
label: Description
content: General History
label: Description
content: The idea of identifying a soldier in case of injury or death during combat dates back to the Civil War, when soldiers pinned paper notes to their clothing as identification. Metal identification tags, or "dog tags" as they are popularly known, have their origins in World War I. By 1913 the United States Army made ID tags mandatory. During World War II each soldier was given two dog tags, a short chain and a long chain. The purpose of the different lengths of chain was to keep the two tags separate, so as not to make noise in the field. The smaller chain was also used for purposes of body identification in case of death.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: related event
content: World War II
label: related event
content: The Great Depression and World War II
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
label: See more items in
content: Military
label: See more items in
content: ThinkFinity
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Lieutenant Colonel Mary A. Millian, USAF (Ret.)
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AF.74521M
label: accession number
content: 292450
label: catalog number
content: 74521M
objectType: label: Object Name
content: identification tags, pair of
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: aluminum (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: fabric (cover material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 1/8 in x 2 in x 1/16 in; 2.8575 cm x 5.08 cm x .15875 cm