Dog tags...

Krom

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I didn't bother to search all the pages in here to see if there's already a site posted for dog tags (military, not dog), so I'll just start this string in patient hopes.
I have recently come into the posession of a set of dog tags that I'm trying to find the owner of (or at least the desendants of the owner, 'cause I know that these DTs are not from my war. They have to be WWII or older).
Any push in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.
Thanx a mil.
~ Krom ~
 
Yes, they are probably WWII military tags and we can't seem to find any info on the person via the net.
 
I didn't bother to search all the pages in here to see if there's already a site posted for dog tags (military, not dog), so I'll just start this string in patient hopes.
I have recently come into the posession of a set of dog tags that I'm trying to find the owner of (or at least the desendants of the owner, 'cause I know that these DTs are not from my war. They have to be WWII or older).
Any push in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.
Thanx a mil.
~ Krom ~

The US Dept of Defense is pretty clear in what to do with found dog tags
Dog Tags
Or, you can take them to the nearest recruiting station.

Of course, they'll probably just destroy them. If you really want to track the family of the descendant, maybe these folks can tell you how they where able to return the tags they picked up in Vietnam?
http://www.roskamdogtag.com/index.asp

Good luck.
 
The US Dept of Defense is pretty clear in what to do with found dog tags
Dog Tags
Or, you can take them to the nearest recruiting station.

Of course, they'll probably just destroy them. If you really want to track the family of the descendant, maybe these folks can tell you how they where able to return the tags they picked up in Vietnam?
http://www.roskamdogtag.com/index.asp

Good luck.

WHAT? I can't imagine why the government would claim ownership to personal ID tags for its veterans. So... if the veteran has been able to maintain possession of the tags they belong to the veteran and his/her family, correct? But if they are lost they become the property of the government, right? I can understand that for obvious reasons (allowing prosecution for the mishandling of the tags, not returning them to their rightful owner, etc.. but not for the government to claim ownership to do whatever they decide with the tags...).....But, whatever. If that's what we're supposed to do with them then I suppose that's what the government expects us to do with them. Joe is a veteran and I wish someone would give him back HIS tags.

So poses the question of what you all would do ..... return them to the government (as required) or find the family.. I can understand following standard proceedures, but what would you do? And what does the government do with them?
 
WHAT? I can't imagine why the government would claim ownership to personal ID tags for its veterans. So... if the veteran has been able to maintain possession of the tags they belong to the veteran and his/her family, correct? But if they are lost they become the property of the government, right? I can understand that for obvious reasons (allowing prosecution for the mishandling of the tags, not returning them to their rightful owner, etc.. but not for the government to claim ownership to do whatever they decide with the tags...).....But, whatever. If that's what we're supposed to do with them then I suppose that's what the government expects us to do with them. Joe is a veteran and I wish someone would give him back HIS tags.

So poses the question of what you all would do ..... return them to the government (as required) or find the family.. I can understand following standard proceedures, but what would you do? And what does the government do with them?

Hey, I'm a vet too.:D

Like I said, they would most likely be destroyed. I kept my tags after separation .... lost them after a while, but fortunately not my DD-214. :D

The US government issued the tags, so I guess they own them, though to my knowledge, no one is asked to turn them in after separation. I mean, its not like they can reuse them.
 
Thank you for your service, Rudy. :yes:
And I agree ~ it's not like the tags mean anything to the government, but they'd mean something to the person who wore them. Not as important as the DD-214, but still meaningful, at least I would think.
 
Thank you for your service, Rudy. :yes:
And I agree ~ it's not like the tags mean anything to the government, but they'd mean something to the person who wore them. Not as important as the DD-214, but still meaningful, at least I would think.

Well, if you and Joe will try to find the family, here is some info that may help:

The tags of WWII vintage (don't know how old are the tags you found).
WWII Army tags

Another feature you can use for dating is the presence or absence of a notch. Tags made between 1941 to the early 1970s have a notch on them. Newer tags do not.

Some other sources of research material:


  • Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) – contains circumstances of loss, search & recovery efforts and graves registration service investigations, in addition to the recovery or non-recovery of remains and burial location. Found at the National Archives & Records Administration II (NARA II) in College Park, MD
  • Individual Personnel File (IPF or ‘201 File’) – provides basic details such as enlistment information, duty stations and assignments, awards/promotions, and separation from duty data. Found at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis.
  • Morning Reports – Indicates the operational strength of the serviceman’s unit in addition to verifying unaccounted status (KIA, MIA, WIA, etc.). Found at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis.
  • American Graves Registration Services (AGRS) records – include Search & Recovery Reports, Field Search Cases, Mortuary Records, and Unknown X-Files. Found at NARA II.
  • Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) – An Army Air Forces record documenting the mission of the aircraft, roster of personnel aboard, destination, and the circumstances of loss. Found at NARA II.
  • Unit histories, war diaries, muster rolls, ship logs, mission reports – Pertaining to all four of the armed services. Found at NARA and the various service history offices/libraries on various bases (see detailed list below).


NARA web site: http://www.nara.gov/
NARA II web site: http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/index.html

Washington National Record Center: http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/suitland/

National Personnel Records Center: http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/

Good luck in your research.
 
Thanks Rudy. We'll play around with this in our spare time. I found a little info on ancestry.com but I can't access all the info I need because I'm not a subscriber there.
 
I discovered he and his wife are deceased ... can't find any children..
 
Hey, I'm a vet too.:D

Like I said, they would most likely be destroyed. I kept my tags after separation .... lost them after a while, but fortunately not my DD-214. :D

The US government issued the tags, so I guess they own them, though to my knowledge, no one is asked to turn them in after separation. I mean, its not like they can reuse them.

You provided some great info in this thread Rudy, Thanks!! Our WWII Vets are dwindling way too fast. Hope you guys can find the descendants!:yes:

Rudy: My story is about the same as to dog tags & DD-214, lost one, have the other!:D
 
You provided some great info in this thread Rudy, Thanks!! Our WWII Vets are dwindling way too fast. Hope you guys can find the descendants!:yes:

Rudy: My story is about the same as to dog tags & DD-214, lost one, have the other!:D

Ron, it's better to lose the tags than the DD-214.;)

At least back when the draft was running all the employers would ask to see the DD-214.
 
The reason the gov tries to recover tags that are found is not because they need the metal, or for any physical reason. Its simply to help figure out what happened to the person who owned them. 99.9999% of the time someone just lost them swimming but that small percentage there can be clues left with the tags. For instance if you were over in vietnam and found the tags....the location where they were found might help recover lost troops (dead or alive even to this day) or give a better understanding as to where troop movements were. Also in the case of deserters tags that belonged to a deserter found in Florida can help the gov. locate said deserter possibly.
 
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