US military personnel are issued "Dog Tags" to facilitate the identification of casualties and provide essential medical information and religious preferences for the person. They're called Dog Tags because of their resemblance to canine identification tags. Dog Tags are issued in duplicate so that one can be used for notification purposes while the other remains with the casualty to assure positive identification. Their use dates back to the Civil War, but the current design wasn't adopted until after World War II.
The tags are usually worn with one on a long chain around the neck, and the other on a shorter chain linked through the long chain so that they didn't click together in combat. The current chain lengths are 24" and 4", but legend has it that the long chain originally had 365 beads, and the shorter one 52 so that prisoners of war could mark time while in confinement. An Army Chaplain recently related, however, that those chain lengths perhaps better serve as a reminder to pray for our military forces and their families on a daily and weekly basis.
For many of our Gold Star military families, the Dog Tag serves as a symbol of the supreme sacrifice of their fallen hero. This icon of military service should also remind us to honor and remember these warriors and their families in our daily times of prayer, as well as our corporate prayers in church services.
|
