My Dog Tags

Getting issued dog tags in boot camp was one of those lifetime defining moments. Their purpose was to identify you in death or if wounded then to let the medic know your blood type. The tags had your full name, your service number, your military branch, your blood type and your religion so they would know who was to give your last rites. 

I posted this picture of one of my dog tags today on Veteran's Day 2021. It's been a more than 51 years since I got mine back in February 1970.  It was around 1990 that I took one of my tags and put it on my keychain. It goes everywhere with me. I touch it everyday. I remember. 

The other evening I was standing at a bar with several other old guys having a beer and something came up about the military when one of them starting talking about a relative in the service. It turns out I was the only one that served and I had pulled out my keychain with my dog tag on it.

Also recently I had some dental work done to examine a chipped tooth and I had recently dropped my dental insurance that was separate from my regular health insurance because we determined it wasn't worth the extra cost but I had also found out our dental office offered a Veteran's Discount of 50%. I asked about it at the desk and when I pulled out my dog tag I got the discount immediately.