Got a note from an Army spouse and aspiring author:
Hello, I am a military spouse doing research on ID Tags/Dog Tags for a book I am writing. I have finished the majority of my book, but am most lacking in current stories and images. Because my husband is still on active dutyand in a position where as his wife I am unable to go beyond the normal research and reach out to active duty. I have tried message boards and veterans organizations and appreciate the few active duty stories/images I have received, but would like to have more people remembered and to share their stories. I came across your website and blog while doing my research, and hope you might be able to help.
I am taking the angle that these tags bring comfort to that fear of every Soldier facing death: I do not want to be forgotten; I will not be unknown. We are currently in a war where the Dog Tag is once again a highly personal item to warriors in every service and their families. Each Dog Tag carries its own human interest story, and is much more than a piece of metal with words and numbers imprinted on it. Receiving it, hanging it around the neck, and feeling it is at once a silent statement of commitment. The tag itself individualizes the human being who wears it within a huge and faceless organization. The armed forces demand obedience, commitment, and duty to a higher cause, but the Dog Tag which hangs privately within their shirts, close to their chests, becomes a part of them. Understanding and sharing the history of Dog Tags and their deeply personal meaning in today’s world is at the core of this book.
I would appreciate stories or images for any of the following, with a connection about Dog Tags:
Personal Stories
Photos
Articles and news events – remains, identification, found media
Body Tattoos – Meat Tags
Other identifiers like Clickers/Crickets, P 38s, etc
Statues or memorials
Myths or Urban Legends
OtherIf you have any questions I would be glad to answer them, or please check out the site to get more information.
Sincerely,
Ginger Cucolo
Help out, if it suits you.
I hate that I even think this, but …
PI phishing?
I think she’s just looking for personal stories…
I hated my dog tags. They were uncomfortable, and I rarely wore them. I carried them in a pocket, taped so they wouldn’t jingle. Mind you, I kept them, but it’s a lot easier to keep a pair of dog tags than an M-16.
Interesting concept…never really took the time to think about my dog tags one way or the other …they were always just there… part of my kit to be accounted for … and like XBradTC ( hey…are you a DAT?) rarely worn…but I still have them… kept in the center drawer of my desk… issued forty-two years ago they look almost new. ( Never wore them on a mission/patrol …the SOP was to go clean )
I’m looking at them now…two rectangles with rounded edges …last name, first name and middle initial, service number ( SSNs now used), blood type and religious affiliation on each…its all there… your essence reduced to five lines … a plesantly evocative experience… thanks Ginger you just might be on to something. Best