A question about a fallen Marine's dog tag

[Colzcolz]

I have a question that I have yet to find the answer for. I have searched for countless hours on the internet and asked many veterans, but no one seems to have an answer for me. I stumbled upon this site and I am hoping somone here can help me with my question.

My cousin, LCpl Thomas Rivers was killed in Afghanistan this past April. It is a loss that words cannot describe. He was my hero, a truly good person, and a damn good Marine. On the day of his burial, before they put the coffin the ground, we were handed one of the dog tags that was attached to end of the casket with thin wire (for transport and identification purposes I assumed). His father kept the dog tags he wore and I kept the other dog tag. I keep it with me everyday. My question concerns the layout of the information on the dog tag. Usually tags have name, social, rank (sometimes), blood type, and religious preference. The tag from his casket reads:

Rivers Jr.
Thomas E.
418-**-**** (<--His social security #)
LCPL USMC
H

I cannot figure out what the 'H' means. It is not religion, for he was not of the Hebrew faith. If anyone can provide any insight, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Zulu 36]

I have a question that I have yet to find the answer for. I have searched for countless hours on the internet and asked many veterans, but no one seems to have an answer for me. I stumbled upon this site and I am hoping somone here can help me with my question.

My cousin, LCpl Thomas Rivers was killed in Afghanistan this past April. It is a loss that words cannot describe. He was my hero, a truly good person, and a damn good Marine. On the day of his burial, before they put the coffin the ground, we were handed one of the dog tags that was attached to end of the casket with thin wire (for transport and identification purposes I assumed). His father kept the dog tags he wore and I kept the other dog tag. I keep it with me everyday. My question concerns the layout of the information on the dog tag. Usually tags have name, social, rank (sometimes), blood type, and religious preference. The tag from his casket reads:

Rivers Jr.
Thomas E.
418-**-**** (<--His social security #)
LCPL USMC
H

I cannot figure out what the 'H' means. It is not religion, for he was not of the Hebrew faith. If anyone can provide any insight, it would be greatly appreciated.

Usually a regular Marine Corps dog tag will not bear a rank, but after USMC will show a gas mask size (S, M, L). After the first name and middle initial will be the blood type. The social security number usually has no dashes or spaces between the number groups.

The last line is for religious preference.

This tag, not being a tag printed for wearing, is obviously a special ID tag for the casket. The "H" is probably some code mortuary affairs uses, for what, I don't know.

[Colzcolz]

Zulu 36, thank you for your reply. After reading it I further investigated mortuary affairs codes and found this link: http://auth.cnic.navy.mil/navycni/gr...cp_a167840.pdf

It states that it is a code for ethnicity. Which makes sense. What does not make sense, however, is what H means. According to the race code categories for the Navy, 'H' is the code given when someone falls under race categories 'A' and 'B'. These codes represent "American Indian or Alaska Native" and "Asian". My cousin was caucasion/white, like me. I figured 1 of 2 things could have happened: Mortuary affairs made a mistake or my cousin, being the constant smart-ass and joker, put down those ethnicities on his paperwork to be funny. I do not know how the Marine Corps regulates their soldiers' paperworks, is there any way he could have gotten away with making a joke like that? or it is more likely MA made a mistake?

[Wyoming]

You list your occupation as Army.

Can't someone there help you out.


... and condolences for your loss.

[Colzcolz]

You list your occupation as Army.

Can't someone there help you out.


... and condolences for your loss.

Thank you for your condolences. And yes I am in the Army, but I'm sure you know as well as I do that Marine Corps and Army are two very different branches. I have contacted everyone ranking from SSGs to CSMs and I even asked our MAJ GEN here on post when I had an opportunity to speak with him. I also contacted my friends in Quartermaster and Mortuary Affairs training and talked to their instructors--even they did not know. But then again, Army and Marines now have separate Mortuary Affairs.

Thank you for your responses. My next step will have to be to try and contact someone in the Navy/Marine mortuary affairs. Maybe my quest seems pointless and a waste of time to some, but I can't help it. There is a part of me that needs to know.

[Wyoming]

Yep, the braches are different.

... and here you are speaking to a MajGen.

Never spoke to anyone above Major, unless the CO, a Colonel was flying, and that was on intercom.

[USNAviator]

Rivers Jr.
Thomas E.
418-**-**** (<--His social security #)
LCPL USMC
H

I cannot figure out what the 'H' means. It is not religion, for he was not of the Hebrew faith. If anyone can provide any insight, it would be greatly appreciated.

I agree with Zulu. I don't think you have a dog tag. What you show does not contain his blood group, which in this situation is not necessary

U.S. Marine Corps:

• Surname
• First and middle initials, blood group
• Social Security number with no dashes and no spaces
• Branch ("USMC"), Gas mask size (S-small, M-medium, L-large)
• Religious preference (or "NO PREFERENCE"), or medical allergy if red medical tag

And let me add my condolences for your loss

[Zulu 36]

Zulu 36, thank you for your reply. After reading it I further investigated mortuary affairs codes and found this link: http://auth.cnic.navy.mil/navycni/gr...cp_a167840.pdf

It states that it is a code for ethnicity. Which makes sense. What does not make sense, however, is what H means. According to the race code categories for the Navy, 'H' is the code given when someone falls under race categories 'A' and 'B'. These codes represent "American Indian or Alaska Native" and "Asian". My cousin was caucasion/white, like me. I figured 1 of 2 things could have happened: Mortuary affairs made a mistake or my cousin, being the constant smart-ass and joker, put down those ethnicities on his paperwork to be funny. I do not know how the Marine Corps regulates their soldiers' paperworks, is there any way he could have gotten away with making a joke like that? or it is more likely MA made a mistake?

I'd put my money on a mistake. His ethnicity would have been recorded on his enlistment contract and he probably didn't goof around on that. I don't think it's anything worth getting worked up over as it won't affect any benefits or things like that.

I had a comedian friend in the Air Guard who changed his religious preference to Druid. Boy, did that create some excitement with the personnel people. He did it just to yank their crank, but it was officially made his religion. So anything is possible. But then my friend was an E-7 when he did it, and he knew what he could get away with.