2 diferent dog tags, same guy

[Vincennes]

just got back from the flea market and bought these dogs tags. The 2 on the OD string are 1 3/16" in diameter and say ALFRED HOFF U.S.A. on one side and 3027766 on the other side. Inserted into the image is a second dog tag apparently from the same guy (or his son?). It says ALFRED LE ROY HOFF 356-16-20 USN-A on one side and the reverse is blank.

 

Are these WW1? Between the wars? I assume USN is United States Navy?, but what does the "A" stand for?

 

Paul

[Bluehawk]

I, the zoomie novice, will take a crack at this...

 

1. I believe the oval one is a 1917 style tag

 

2. Yes, USN would have meant Navy

 

3. Finding no other reason for it being on the tag in any location, I believe that letter "A" may have stood for blood type... evidently they did not in those days indicate positive or negative types

[Bluehawk]

The round ones do appear to be WW1.

 

Here's the USMF thread started on dog tags... may be of better help than my guesstimates:

 

Click:

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...?showtopic=1378

[1stDivVet]

round ones are the WW1 style used into the early 30's.. oval is a us navy tag. Mine are all WW2 and have tetnus dates.. Look closely on the back and see if there is an etching of a thumbprint. The A is the blood type. BH is correct, they didn't put the pos or neg on it.. May be from the same guy possibly.. He may have enlisted in the navy after army service and would have been given a new id number..I have a set of orders from WW2 that have several old guys listed who still have pre-war numbers.. My guy is one of them.. Enlisted originally in the 30's and upon re-entry, was given his old number..My cousin, did NG time in the late 30's and was given a new number when he went in in 42..

 

Fins.

[Vincennes]

round ones are the WW1 style used into the early 30's.. oval is a us navy tag. Mine are all WW2 and have tetnus dates.. Look closely on the back and see if there is an etching of a thumbprint. The A is the blood type. BH is correct, they didn't put the pos or neg on it.. May be from the same guy possibly.. He may have enlisted in the navy after army service and would have been given a new id number..I have a set of orders from WW2 that have several old guys listed who still have pre-war numbers.. My guy is one of them.. Enlisted originally in the 30's and upon re-entry, was given his old number..My cousin, did NG time in the late 30's and was given a new number when he went in in 42..

 

Fins.

 

I have done some additional research since I posted this thread and I can now say that the dog tags are from Father and Son. The Father was in WW1. I found his WW1 draft registration card and also a web page which says "highest number recorded in WWI was 5,996,630". So 3,027,766 is a valid WW1 serial number. And he is listed as a WW1 vet in the 1930 census. William Hoff was born 04/17/1892, died 01/27/1966, and was married 12/12/1917. His son William Le Roy Hoff was born 17 Jun 1920, died 20 Feb 1992, called "Bud", was a CRM in the US Navy during WW II.

 

By the way, there is no etching of a thumbprint on the reverse of the Navy tag. I also see I mistyped his Navy serial number...it is 356-19-20.

 

How unusual is it to find a Father/Son set of dogtags from WW1 and WW2?

 

Paul