Personalized Dog Tags
Personalized Dog Tags - Custom Dog Tags - Military ID Dogtags
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Personalized Custom Dog Tags & Military ID Dogtags – Not Just For Soldiers Anymore
In today’s modern world there’s hardly anyone who is not
familiar with the pair of silver, oval metal tags worn by soldiers and
servicemen both now and in eras past. The common, familiar name for theses
identification tags is “dog tag” because of their resemblance to the actual
licensing disks worn by dogs (Recently, the army stopped calling the tags "Dog
tags" and adopted the more civilized moniker "I.D tags". It has been suggested
that some enlisted trainees in the 1990s complained that the term "dog tag" was
offensive, but this reasoning has never been confirmed.).
While there are several dog tag formats extant around the world, it’s the US
Army dog tags form that we are most familiar with. They list the surname, given
name, social security number (originally service number), blood type and
religion - stamped on small oval pieces of metal that are worn on a metal chain
around the neck. The U.S. Army was the first branch to authorize identification
tags in War Department General Order No. 204, dated December 20, 1906. The Army
altered its regulations on July 6, 1916, and now all soldiers are issued two ID
tags -- one to remain with the body and the other to go to the individual
responsible for the burial for record-keeping purposes. After WWII, the US Navy
Department adopted the same dog tags used by the US Army and Air Force, which
led to a single size and shape to become the American standard of today.
During World War II, dog tags were first worn by civilians when soldiers often
gave them to loved ones before deployment or when dating, very much like the
high school or college tradition of giving a girlfriend one's letterman jacket
or school ring to wear. Also, in the 1950s, at the height of fears about a
possible nuclear war with the USSR, it is rumored that all New York City public
school pupils were issued dog tags to identify them in the event of war.
In recent years, the wearing of dog tags has found its way into the fashions
favored by the younger generation through a style first termed as “military
chic”. Originally, they were worn as a part of a pseudo-style of military
uniform by teens and college students wishing to put forward a tough or
militaristic image, dog tags have since gained prominence in broader fashion
circles, also becoming popular with celebrities like movie or rock stars and
athletes. The tags can be engraved with a person's personal details, sentiments
for a loved one, their beliefs or tastes, a favorite quote, or may bear the name
and/or logo of a popular band or performer.
Like its military cousin, for the longest time identification tags used to aid
in finding lost pets were all stamped or embossed on metal blanks which were
more or less limited to a finite amount of information proscribed by the size of
the embossed letters used on the tags by the machines employed for stamping. In
recent years, new materials like silicone, colored metals and plastics and
methods of machine or laser engraving have given birth to a cornucopia of fun,
new shapes, colors, and methods of engraving for the new materials which have
rendered the old stamped tags obsolete. Gone is the day of the boxy, sometimes
unevenly spaced letters borne on a silver or gold-colored metal blank which was
only available in limited-sized round or oval shapes.
In addition to a varied palate of colors like red, green, orange, purple, or
even reflective choices like a holographic silver, tags now come shaped like
hearts, paw prints, dog or cat faces, and dog houses. It’s even possible to find
shapes like a skull and crossbones, dog bones, suitcases, stars, t-shirts and
the Liberty Bell. Now, anyone can buy personalized id dog tags and can include
any type of custom message or design. New laser engraved custom dog tags engrave
in a frosty white for a great eye-catching contrast of colors. Modern dog tags
or I. D. tags have clearly come a long way from their humble beginnings as a way
to keep track of servicemen.
