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Replacement Dogtags


usmce4
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I'm in need of help from a fellow Marine who went in in 1962 or as close to '62 as possible and still has his dogtags

 

My original ones, along with my bages and ribbons, egas, etc were stolen years ago. Now that I've accumulated a KABAR collection, I think dogtags would look good in with them. There is a woman who has a concession at the VA who has the material and machine to make the real McCoy - the dull, not shiny steel with the rolled edge and notch in it and an original lettering machine.

 

Just one problem, I'm not sure of the layout and I AM sure the one she suggests is wrong. One of the people on ebay who sells the tinny repro ones insists this layout is correct and it seems to appear so to me. Can anybody please look at theirs and verify?

 

11111111111

22222222222 3

44444444444 5 555

6666 7

8888888888

 

1= Last Name 2= First Name 3= Middle Initial 4= Serial Number 5= Blood Type 6= USMC

7= Gas Mask Size 8= Religion

 

Would very much appreciate if anybody would correct or verify by PM - Thanks in advance, Semper Fi, Art

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The website was very helpful on the layout but is a bit fuzzy regarding whether or not 1962 era USMC dogtags were notched or not. I could swear mine were, but what might be confusing me is that I kept them in my jewelry box with my Father's WWII tags and I'm wondering if I'm picturing his in my mind rather than mine.

 

If any Marine who went in late '62 or early '63 and still had his original dogtags could tell me if they are notched or not I would be most appreciative

 

Thanks, Art

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The Marine corps changed to the un-notched dog tags in 1959 and to my knowledge they haven't changed since. It is possible that they used remaining stock over the next few years though. But that's beyond my knowledge.

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JAKE.... Thanks, appreciate the info. But I was thinking about it last night and I think I convinced myself mine were notched when I recalled a conversation I had had with a Corpsman (Marine version of a medic) and I remember feeling sick when he explained what the notch was for.

 

Anyway I solved my problem - I'm making one set of each. What the heck, neither is original anyway and ONE will be an exact duplicate. - I'll post those pics of the woman's Tues night or Wed.

 

Regards, Art

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The notch was for machine alignment when stamping.The other story is urban legend.

I'd love to think that's true. Maybe it is, because even though it was told to me by a Corpsman who was a buddy, I never saw any bodies it had been done too.

But you have to remember, back in WWII you'd have days the bodies came in by the truckload and mixed ID's probably were very common.

On the other hand, giving credence to it just being a "story" - I once had to get novacane shots in my palate and I can tell you from that experience, the palate is H-A-R-D!

 

Thanks for the info I think I'm going to make myself believe your version

Art

 

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Not that the actions for the other story didn't ever happen, but that was not what the notch was designed for at all.

As mentioned it was made to fit in the machine.

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Not that the actions for the other story didn't ever happen, but that was not what the notch was designed for at all.

As mentioned it was made to fit in the machine.

 

Good! Much more civil IMHO

 

Thanks, Art

 

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Funniest thing - I went to the VA today to order my dogtags from the woman who runs the hat, T-shirt, pins, dogtags etc concession and I said I wanted the ones with the notch. She said "you know the notch was just to align the tag in the machine, don't you"

 

For 50+ years I've been believing and spreading the "urban rumor". Now in one week three people corrected me. I must be the only one gullible enough to have believed it. No wonder I own so much swampland in Florida!!!

 

Just one question - There really ARE white crocodiles living in the N.Y. sewer system, aren't there?

 

Art

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