Serial numbers?

[linda1945]

My serial number was W711***, there I put it down for the fourth time. W is for woman. Semper Fi Sheila Hays

Like yours Shiela, mine was also with a "W" in front of it and I was W715***. Made new dog tags at CamPen in 1964 and 1965.
Gads! Some of them dogs tags were damaged until they were hardly recognized!!
Semper Fi
Lin

[linda1945]

W711*** service # or whatever, I still have one of my dogtags. It's all metal, it made me break out in a rash when ever I wore them. I had to put cream on my chest. Semper Fi Sheila Hays

Yep! I still have one of mine and carry it on a key chain in my purse! All metal.
Semper Fi
Lin

[poppione]

poppione CPL July 1959 to April 16 1963.I received an early cut and did not have to remain until June 30 1963. Never had to pull mess duty.
Service #186xxxx.

[Sheila Hays]

My serial #W711*** makes me feel old as dirt. I joined on Sept.11, 1959, graduated on Oct.23 1959. Honorably Discharged. Had a great time in the Corps, dated only six Marines. Married the sixth one.
Semper Fi

[lcpl4life]

On most things now they use just the last 4 numbers of your social, but our dumb@$$ fro lost his external hard drive at a family function it was never found and we never got any answers if it had our socials on it or not, but where where told it had our personal info on it. Needless to say we where all keeping an eye on our credit reports for a while. Nothing happened to him, It must be nice to be a retired Master Guns.

[herb1013]

mine was 138xxxx from 53 to 56 then uncle decided he needed my service with the U.S. Army and that one was U.S 513xxxxx and yes I can recite them both.

[radio relay]

I entered in May of '68, my S/N was 242XXXX ... I was also issued dog tags with the "tooth notch" (which was actually a notch that the stamper used to align the tag in the machine as it stamped the tag). By the time I left Active Duty in May, '71, new Marines were showing up with their serial numbers being the same as their social security numbers .

They also added the Master Gunnery Sergeant, and Master Sergeant ranks sometime between '68 and '71. When I went in, there were just Sergeants Major at E-9, and First Sergeants at E-8. I remember seeing a Master Gunnery Sergeant in the PX, but didn't have any in any of the units I served in, and didn't ever run across any Master Sergeants.

[jumpinjack]

I joined in 1968, mine was 247---- MCRDSD platoon 2004.

[radio relay]

I joined in 1968, mine was 247---- MCRDSD platoon 2004.

I was Platoon 2006, MCRD SD, summer 1968. The four platoons in my series were 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.

[Sheila Hays]

I still have one of my dog tags, its all metal with a gap in the front of it. It lists my name serial W711***, also my religion and blood type. I thought the gap was used if something happened to me, they would shove it into my teeth.

[linda1945]

I still have my one od my original dog tags, with name, W715***, religion and blood type, but didn't have the notched typed. Carry it on my key chain in my purse. That tag has been with me for 47 yr. now.
Semper Fi
Lin

[radio relay]

I still have one of my dog tags, its all metal with a gap in the front of it. It lists my name serial W711***, also my religion and blood type. I thought the gap was used if something happened to me, they would shove it into my teeth.

Yes, that's why it's called the "tooth notch". I can even remember a salty Corpsman telling us boots that's what the notch was for. It may very well have been used for that purpose, too, but it was not the main reason.

I've found two explanations ....

1.It was there was to hold the tag in the stamping machine while it was being stamped. This link from snopes.com quotes DoD's "Mortuary Affairs" saying it was used in the stamping machine.
http://www.snopes.com/military/notch.asp

2. It was used to align the tag in the "adressograph" imprinting machine, that transferred data from the tag to medical and burial records. The link bellow supports that theory, and even has a picture:
https://www.armydogtags.com/a_PurposeNotch.php


A Marine I met, who had been held in Casual Company, while he was recovering from some injury in bootcamp, told me he had been given the job of stamping tags, and the notch was used for aligning the tag in the stamping machine.

So, there you go. Personally, I like the "jammed in your mouth on the battlefield" explanation best

[linda1945]

I used to make new dog tags while stationed at CamPen. Back there in that little corner was yucky and that typewriter was hard as hell typing out all the info on the tags. Took me forever to make one dogtag. In fact, made me an extra set, but they got lost in a house fire back in '86.
Semper Fi
Lin

[Sheila Hays]

We were told in boot camp that the notch was used to identify our bodies. They shoved it into our teeth, in that way we would never lose our identity. I guess if I was dead, I wouldn't care who messed up my teeth. I never went to battle.

[EGA1957]

For the history behind the dog tag "saga," this is probably the best authority:
http://www.qmfound.com/short_history...ation_tags.htm