A dog tag template is used for identification purposes which are used by the armed forces or military for their workforce. The armed forces wear dog tags during combat to hunt down specific targets. These dog tags are used for identification of any casualties during an operation. It contains information about the individuals, including their name, blood group, age and history of vaccination. Moreover, it may sometimes include information about their religious preferences as well. A dog tag template can also be used for non-military purposes, such as civilians using it for medical reasons and musicians using it to inscribe an individual’s details such as their identification, their favorite quote or saying, music taste or musicians’ band. Presently, dog tags are becoming popular with young people, showing other people about their tough appearance. Young individuals prefer to wear dog tags to display their affection for the armed forces.
Uses of Dog Tag in Different Countries
A dog tag template is used by various countries, each designed in its own unique way for their use.
Australia issues their soldiers with two different dog tags, one in a circular shape and the other in an octagonal shape. In case of a casualty, the octagonal tag remains on the body which can be matched with a circular tag for identification.
Belgium, Norway and Canada design two dog tags in the same specific shape for the purpose of identification. During combat, if casualties happen, they can recognize their workforce with the help of dog tags. They break the dog tag into two from the middle where one remains on the body while the other is returned to the armed forces.
China also uses dog tags for their public liberation army. They used two long dog tags in a rectangular shape where they include basic information, such as full name, date of birth, gender, blood type, Resident identity card number and branch.
Denmark uses a specific dog tag for their military. Their dog tags are in small sizes, made from metal plates in a rectangular shape. Like other tags, it is designed to be broken into two different tags, including information about blood group, surname and Danish personal identification number. The right side of a dog tag is also engraved with “Denmark”.
History Behind using Dog Tags
Although armed men used different ways to write their identification on them, in fear of being buried unnamed and unidentified. The idea of an official dog tag originated during the Spanish-American war in 1899. After a few years, in December 1906, the army put an official order to the soldiers that an aluminum disc shaped ID tag must be worn by all of them. The ID tags contained all information regarding the soldier, it was stamped with their identification, rank, unit rank and number. It was attached to a chain that could be worn by the soldiers around their neck. The order was modified in the year 1916, where a second disc was attached to the first one by a small chain or string. In case of a casualty, the first disc was to remain with the body while the second disc would be used for burial service record keeping. Dog tags were used in all wars from then onwards, including World War I, the American civil war, the Franco-Prussian war and World War II.
Moving further, many changes were made to the specifications written on the ID tags and many rules were changed as well. In today’s world, using DNA samples for the identification of body remains is useful, yet dog tags are still issued to service workers. It is a way of honoring all those who served in the military forces, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice during hard times.
Why Are They Called Dog Tags?
The word ‘dog tag’ wouldn’t be found in any regulation of any army until the Prussian army in 1870. Initially they were only called identification tags. The word dog tag comes from the word ‘hundemarken’, which refers to what each dog in the then Prussian capital required for its identification.
Templates for Dog Tags
