Editing Dog tag (section)

=== United States ===

{{update|date=June 2020}}
[[File:US Dog Tag with Surname, First name, Social Security number, Blood type, Religion.jpg|thumb|An American dog tag showing the recipient's last name, first name, Social Security number, blood type, and religion.]]

Tags are properly known as identification tags; the term "dog tags" has never been used in regulations.<ref>{{cite web |last1= Cucolo |first1= Ginger |title= Dog Tags: History, Stories & Folklore of Military Identification |url= https://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5470 |website= The Library of Congress Webcasts |publisher= The Library of Congress |access-date= 2016-03-30 |quote= Never being called such in regulations, the "dog tag" has forever imprinted itself on the serving individual's mind and the tag they wear.}}</ref>

The [[United States Armed Forces|U.S. Armed Forces]] typically carry two identical oval dog tags containing:

;[[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] (Pre-2019)<ref name="USAF">{{cite web|date=18 May 2016|title=AFI 36-3103|url=http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a1/publication/afi36-3103/afi36-3103.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807161719/http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a1/publication/afi36-3103/afi36-3103.pdf |archive-date=2016-08-07 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Last name
* First name and middle initial
* Social Security number (Or DoD ID number post-2012), followed by "AF" indicating branch of service
* Blood Group
* Religion

;[[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] (Modern)<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 Jan 2019|title=AFI 36-3802: Force Support Readiness Programs|url=https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a1/publication/afi36-3802/afi36-3802.pdf|url-status=dead|access-date=18 October 2021|website=USAF e-Publishing|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123053146/http://static.e-publishing.af.mil:80/production/1/af_a1/publication/afi36-3802/afi36-3802.pdf |archive-date=2016-11-23 }}</ref>
* Last name
*First name and middle initial
*DoD ID number without hyphens
*Blood group and Rh factor
*Religious Preference

;[[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]]
* Last name<ref name="USMC">{{cite web |title= MCO P1070.12K |url= http://www.marines.mil/news/publications/Documents/MCO%20P1070.12K%20W%20CH%201.pdf |date= 14 July 2000 |author= United States Marine Corps |publisher= United States Department of the Navy |access-date= 2008-04-09 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080409095003/http://www.marines.mil/news/publications/Documents/MCO%20P1070.12K%20W%20CH%201.pdf |archive-date= April 9, 2008 }}</ref>
* First and middle initials and suffix; blood group<ref name="USMC"/>
* EDIPI number<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.marines.mil/News/Messages/Messages-Display/Article/924606/replacement-of-social-security-number-ssn-with-department-of-defense-dod-id-on/ |title=REPLACEMENT OF SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (SSN) WITH DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) ID ON IDENTIFICATION (ID) TAGS |website=marines.mil |date=August 24, 2016}}</ref>
* Branch ("USMC"); Gas mask size (S – small, M – medium, L – large)<ref name="USMC"/>
* Religious preference, or medical allergy if red medical tag<ref name="USMC"/>

;[[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] (Historic, the U.S. Navy no longer issues dog tags)
* Last name, first name, middle initial
* Social Security number with no dashes or spaces followed immediately by "USN", space, blood group
* Religion

;[[United States Army|U.S. Army]]
* Last name
* First name and middle initial
* Dept of Defense ID number (replaced Social Security number in November 2015)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Army Publishing Directorate |url=http://www.apd.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/p600_8_14.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019033124/http://www.apd.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/p600_8_14.pdf |archive-date=2017-10-19 |url-status=dead |access-date=14 October 2022 |website=Army Publishing Directorate}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1= Bushatz |first1= Amy |title= In Major Change, Army Removes Social Security Numbers from Dog Tags |url= http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/12/08/major-change-army-removes-social-security-numbers-from-dog-tags.html?ESRC=todayinmil.sm |access-date= 2015-12-08 |publisher= Military.com |date= 2015-12-08 |quote= U.S. Army dog tags will no longer include soldiers' Social Security numbers, the Army announced on Tuesday, ending a more than 40-year identification system}}</ref>
* Blood type
* Religion

;[[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]] (Historic, the U.S. Coast Guard no longer issues dog tags)
* Last name, first name, middle initial
* Social Security number, no dashes or spaces, followed immediately by "USCG"
* Blood group
* Religion

==== Religious designation ====
[[File:Dog Tag Atheist FSM.jpg|thumb|Custom tags showing Atheist/[[Flying Spaghetti Monster|FSM]] as religion, made in response to a US Army representative refusing to print 'Atheist' on official dog tags. Custom dog tags are permitted as long as they adhere to US Army regulations.]]
During World War II, an American dog tag could indicate only one of three religions through the inclusion of one letter: "P" for Protestant, "C" for Catholic, or "H" for Jewish (from the word "Hebrew"),<ref name="tags">{{Cite web|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq70-1.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505164942/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq70-1.htm|title=www.history.navy.mil retrieved May 30, 2011|archive-date=May 5, 2011}}</ref> or (according to at least one source) "NO" to indicate no religious preference.<ref name="no">{{cite web |url= http://www.blitzkriegbaby.de/anc/anc3e.htm |title= Blitzkrieg Baby |access-date= 2011-05-30 }}</ref> Army regulations (606–5) soon included X and Y in addition to P, C, and H: the X indicating any religion not included in the first three, and the Y indicating either no religion or a choice not to list religion.<ref>Non-commissioned officers guide, 4th edition, pg. 212.</ref>
By the time of the [[Vietnam War]], some IDs spelled out the broad religious choices such as PROTESTANT and CATHOLIC, rather than using initials, and also began to show individual denominations such as "METHODIST" or "BAPTIST".<ref name="religions">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mooremilitaria.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110626030630/http://www.mooremilitaria.com/dog_tags.htm|title=Moore Militaria Home|archive-date=June 26, 2011|website=www.mooremilitaria.com}}</ref> Tags did vary by service, however, such as the use of "CATH" instead of "CATHOLIC" on some Navy tags. For those with no religious affiliation and those who chose not to list an affiliation, either the space for religion was left blank or the words "NO PREFERENCE" or "NO RELIGIOUS PREF" (or the abbreviation "NO PREF") were included.<ref name="religions"/>

Although American dog tags currently include the recipient's religion as a way of ensuring that religious needs will be met, some personnel have them reissued without religious affiliation listed—or keep two sets, one with the designation and one without—out of fear that identification as a member of a particular religion could increase the danger to their welfare or their lives if they fell into enemy hands. Some Jewish personnel avoided flying over German lines during WWII with ID tags that indicated their religion, and some Jewish personnel avoid the religious designation today out of concern that they could be captured by extremists who are [[anti-Semitic]].<ref name="no"/><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.jewishjournal.com/los_angeles/article/in_harms_way_20030321|title=In Harm's Way – Los Angeles |access-date= 2011-05-30 }}</ref> Additionally, when American troops were first sent to [[Saudi Arabia]] during the [[Gulf War]] there were allegations that some U.S. military authorities were pressuring Jewish military personnel to avoid listing their religions on their ID tags.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ajcarchives.org/AJC_DATA/Files/1992_4_USCivicPolitical.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616144311/http://ajcarchives.org/AJC_DATA/Files/1992_4_USCivicPolitical.pdf |archive-date=2010-06-16 |url-status=live |title= US Civic Political |website= ajcarchives.org |pages= 178–179 |access-date= 2011-05-30 }}</ref>