The Armed Forces History Museum describes current military dog tags as listing a service member's last name, first name, middle initial, serial or Social Security number, blood type and religious affiliation. Each piece of information is clearly stamped into a stainless steel tag that resists corrosion and damage.
The purpose of a dog tag is to makes positive identification of a fallen or injured service member accurate and efficient. Metal dog tags arose as a more long-lasting item to identify soldiers as compared to the sheets of paper that were carried in the pockets of soldiers during and before the Civil War.
