A dog tag is a form of identification worn around the necks of soldiers at war. It consists of an aluminum pendant on a sturdy ball-and-socket style chain. The pendant is embossed with various information, such as name, date of birth, blood type, branch of service, and relevant medical information.

The all of the edges of the pendant are curled over to make a narrow frame around it. This smooths any sharp edges and strengthens the object. The there is a notch at the short end opposite the connection to the chain. This notch reputedly facilitates the embedding of the tag between the teeth of a dead soldier prior to transport.

Dog-tags are occasionally found in pairs or accompanied by other metal objects worn around the neck. The clinking sound that would ensue is avoided by the addition of "silencers" in the form of thin rubber frames that fit tightly around the perimeter of the tags.

The dog tag is an oblong piece of metal used for identification by military forces. Embossed upon the US dog tag are the wearer's name, rank, branch of service, social security number, blood type, and religion*.

Dog tags are issued in pairs, on two chains. The primary chain is of a size to put around the neck, the secondary chain is a mere 4 inches long. The second dogtag is normally threaded onto the laces of the wearer's combat boots (suitably muffled if need be). If the wearer is dismembered, or their torso destroyed, the second dog tag will hopefully survive enough to identify the corpse.

*Many non-Christian (especially Jewish) members of the US military will have NO PREF listed as a religion, especially when stationed in the Middle East.

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