why are army id's called "dog tags" ? When did this usage originate ?

Hi aswinraj-ga,

Interesting question!

According to HISTORY MATTERS, a website for History teachers provided
by the  American Social History Project / Center for Media and
Learning (City University of New York, Graduate Center) and the Center
for History and New Media (George Mason University ) ------

A dog tag, the metal identification badge worn around the neck to
distinguish someone in case of injury or death, was called this
because it resembled the license tag on a dog's collar .

The term "dog tag" as it refers to the soldiers' ID tags was entered
the American vocabulary during World War One.

WORDS OF WAR – PUZZLE
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5292/

WORDS OF WAR - ANSWER
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/text/puzzle6ans.html


For more on the history of dog tags see these sites ----

The G.I.'s Dog Tags: A History
http://www.adeq.net/tag-hist.htm


Dept of the Navy - Personal Identification Tags or "Dog Tags"
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq70-1.htm


Thanks for your question,

-K~

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dog tags first used
dog tags "first used"