In 1994 a tourist to Hue City, Vietnam, purchased more than 1,400 dog tags believing they were from Americans listed as missing in action (MIA). An additional 199 dog tags were acquired in Vietnam in 2006 by a former New Zealand First Member of Parliament with the same belief and a strong desire to return the dog tags to the family of the deceased or missing serviceperson. A check of the dog tags revealed that although none appear to be those of an MIA, most are genuine and were worn by Americans during the war. In other words, these soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines served with honor and returned home after the war. Their dog tags, however, did not.

The primary goals of this project are to reunite lost dog tags with their owners or family members and to collect some background information on how they were lost. So, if you find your name or the name of a friend on the list of over 1,000, please let us know. (Not all dog tags list the branch of service.) Once we verify that we are reuniting the correct dog tag with the correct person, we will send it back to you at no cost. We have already reunited several people with their dog tags. Click here to learn more about these successful reunions.

"In the light of world events today it becomes ever more important to remember our heritage and what made this country great. This small token of my service fills one more gap in my personal history to allow my children to understand this era. Thank you."

~Specialist 5th Class Paul D. 'Dan' Clipson
United States Army Security Agency

Go to Returned Dog Tags List