Dog Tags

[winchable]

Oh the salvation army is most certainly a religious group, a large one. They have ranks, where the officers are ministers etc.
Initially they were started by a Mormon(?) minister in London, waging war on poverty, I believe.
I've got a close friend whose father is an officer in the Salvation Army, their structure and hierarchy is actually kind of neat, you should take a look at it.
They've got really good marching bands too.

And CDN id tags:
http://safetytags.com/photo.php?type=product&size=norm&photoId=32

 

[Inch]

Here's a pic of my tags, I blocked out the service number and name for obvious reasons.

 

[the 48th regulator]

I would put RC for Roman Catholic.

It is our job to let the infidels decide what to put ont THEIR dog tags in case WE capture them.

the cup is always half full.

tess

 

[pbi]

This is, indeed, a hot topic. As one poster pointed out, the real purpose of the religious notation on the ID disc is to ensure proper spiritual care when unable to speak   and, ultimately, handling of remains. It's a purely individual question, based on how you trade off care of your spiritual issues against the possibility of being tortured or killed for your religious faith. But, the tone of some of the posts here warns us how uncomfortable many Canadians are with the idea of faith.


While typical WASP, middle class Canadians with a liberal, middle of the road upbringing are generally quite happy to either have no religious beliefs to speak of, or to compartmentalize their "religion" into something they put into a box and take out for Christmas/Easter/etc ("CREASTERS" some chaplains call them...), an increasing number of Canadians today come from cultural backgrounds in which faith is an integral part of their life and informs everything they do. It instructs their code of morality, their concept of justice, and perhaps even their attitude towards war. This includes, in particular, Muslims and non-European Catholics. IMHO if this is not what your faith does, why bother?

I am an Anglican (not really a "Protestant" but in fact a kind of "Lost Catholic") but my wife is a devout RC. Although I am a rather wretched excuse for a Christian, in our 21 years of marriage I have attended Catholic churches with my family all over this country (and in the US). They are almost always full, and to an increasing extent the congregations are made up of   new Canadians. Now, going to church does not, IMHO, make you a Christian, but I argue for a strong correlation between attendance and faith.

Anyway, in the end, your faith is your business, but let's not belittle the power and importance of anybody's beliefs, especially for those of us who must face the dangers and spiritual/moral challenges of our profession of arms.   And that old saying "There are no atheists in foxholes" has been repeated over and over by soldiers for a couple of generations now, so there may just be something to it. Cheers.

 

[Acorn]

Sally Ann is certainly NOT Mormon. It's possibly Methodist in origin. The Mormons originated in the US, and believe that Christ came to the Americas after the Ressurection. The Book of Mormon is an interesting read, though unlike the Bible, there is not a shred of corroboratiing historical record.

Acorn

 

[winchable]

Sally Ann is certainly NOT Mormon. It's possibly Methodist in origin. The Mormons originated in the US, and believe that Christ came to the Americas after the Ressurection.

Right you are, got my M's mmm-ixed up.
I was debating whether it was Mormon or Methodist..
Alright i'm going to research this and come back with a good answer.

Edit: William Booth (the founder) was a former methodist who found his calling preaching to the degenerates of Londons poorest regions when he realized that the worshippers at Westminster and St Paul's didn't bloody well want them stinking up their beautiful abbeys.

 

[meni0n]

I got SR written on mine. What the hell is SR?

 

[SHELLDRAKE!!]

Maybee you shouldnt worry about what your tags say because these days its not your religion that will save you, its the country you represent

 

[Inch]

They also say Cdn Forces on your tags, but I doubt that would save you in some cases.

Cheers

 

[Sig_Des]

Maybee you shouldnt worry about what your tags say because these days its not your religion that will save you, its the country you represent

Some people may say it IS their religion that will save them. Either way, It can be an issue. It's a members personal decision as what they are putting there, and ultimately, how does he/she want to be cared for in the event that funeral arrangement are required. And believe me, if you're taken in places like Afghanistan, representing Canada won't save you

 

[elizabeth]

Hey, I heard a rumor that the chain on the dog tags are supposed to break if you are getting strangled by them. Does anyone know about this? I always thought that they would be a hazard in the field. Thanks.

 

[Burrows]

I dont know if they were designed specifically for that but yes the chain on the dog tags do come apart if pulled on hard enough...

 

[Cooper]

On the subject of dog tags. Why is the issuing of them so screwed up (for the reserves). I've been in a year, and filled out the paperwork twice and have yet to receive them... yet a buddy of mine got them after 2 weeks of being in.

 

[MCpl Burtoo]

Check with your OR...sounds like the paper work wasn't pushed past the "out" basket.

 

[foerestedwarrior]

Well it is very case by case, they dont do a run of them unless there are enough to do, so they may be waiting for more to do a run. Just a thought

 

[Scott]

I was in the Mo for three years and never got a set.

 

[Matt_Fisher]

Hey, I heard a rumor that the chain on the dog tags are supposed to break if you are getting strangled by them. Does anyone know about this? I always thought that they would be a hazard in the field. Thanks.

It's somewhat of an urban legend.  What I would never recommend to anyone is to have any sort of para-cord around your neck, ie. dog tags, keys, id card, etc.  That stuff is 550 lbs. test strength, and if you get hung up you'll end up with some pretty decent red marks around your throat.  In the off chance that you ever do engage in hand to hand combat, then that stuff is a definite liability.

 

[Scott]

It's somewhat of an urban legend.   What I would never recommend to anyone is to have any sort of para-cord around your neck, ie. dog tags, keys, id card, etc.   That stuff is 550 lbs. test strength, and if you get hung up you'll end up with some pretty decent red marks around your throat.   In the off chance that you ever do engage in hand to hand combat, then that stuff is a definite liability.

Quite true. In fact, the wearing of any jewellery is dangerous. A ring can damn near take off a finger or leave you hanging by one, a watch can lose you your hand, I am sure the medics on this site have seen some of the same horror pics going through their training as I have. The wearing of jewellery is limited for a reason. Dog tags are allowed, for a reason, but I would hesitate to wear anything that could lose me any part of my body. There have been stories of Paramedics, who wear there stethoscopes around their necks, being choked by combative patients, could be an urban myth, regardless, it is reasonable to believe that the same could be done to you with your dog tag chain or a piece of paracord.

Matt, by the way, love your signature.

 

[48Highlander]

.....it is reasonable to believe that the same could be done to you with your dog tag chain or a piece of paracord.

No, not the dogtag chain.  When I was a typical young private foolishly wearing his dogtags to the bars, I managed to lose a pair when a rowdy local attempted to use them for just that purpose.  I'm not sure what the test strength on the chain is, but it's not enough to choke you.

 

[Scott]

Good enough then.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a very good way to qualify your remarks, go piss off the locals to test/prove these theories ;D