From the Footlocker
by Gene Moser

I pride myself on being accurate, so I really should say Identification tags, or tags, identification, individual. But if I did, nobody would understand me. On the other hand, even civilians have a clue as to what dog tags are.

It's strange that not all brats know that some brats wore them.

I was one of those until about four years ago. An adult brat offered Operation Footlocker some dog tags and I said, "Well, OpFoot is for us. We really don't need your dad's dog tags." This got a laugh and something like "You sure you are a brat? These are my tags." So I learned.

For those who don't know, from time to time and place to place dependents were given dog tags. There is where uniformity ends. Kids in the same country, at the same time had different experiences. I didn't get dog tags in Japan, but the guy who married a girl I met there did have tags. In fact, OpFoot has a duplicate set right now.

Another difference is that I have yet to see two sets that are identical. Unlike the sponsor's tags which have name, serial number or SSN, blood type and religious preference, kids' tags can have all kinds of things, other than the name. Some entries I've seen are birth order, sex, sponsor's name, an alphanumeric code or religion. One thing I've never seen is blood type.

As what is on the tag seems to vary, the use seemed to vary, too. Some brats reported using them as an ID to get into the PX before they were old enough for an ID card. This made the ID card even more of a rite of passage, since little kids had to have the dog tag, but big ones didn't. One lady reported that she and her sisters‹one of whom was an infant, had to wear them all the time, even in the bath tub, while others mentioned that wear was optional or only at certain times.

I heard that one overseas junior high used them for "going steady." Apparently one popular but fickle boy had the dog tags of something like four different girls. One wonders what the discoverer of Romeo¹s body would have thought: "You know, he really looks more like a Nancy than an Abigail, don¹t you think?"

While most brats who had dog tags have said they received them overseas, a few SAC brats have mentioned that they had them, too. Now what use they would have been after turning into radioactive dust, I'm not sure, but it¹s the thought that counts, I guess. A few brats even said they were issued different sets at different times.

Like it happens so often, it was a mom who possibly explained the mystery of how and why and what. Apparently it was, or maybe still is, up to the discretion of the local commander as to whether or not a dependent needed dog tags. It follows that the local commander also decided what would go on the tag and what the tag itself would go on and when. That would explain why my old girl friend's husband tags have USN on them despite the fact he was an Air Force brat. He was issued them at a naval base.

For more information about Operation Footlocker, visit the web site.

For scheduling, contact Gene Moser:

footlocker@military-brats.com
(757) 838-2501
9 Ward Dr., Hampton, VA 23669

This article first appeared in On The Move, Volume 2, Number 2.

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