USMC dog tags

babun

Someone here should be able to help me on this. A set of M1940 style dog tags were given to me yesterday. Typical 'notched' style. First line imprinted is the last name. second line is first name comma mid intial.
third line is 7 digit id number {space} A {blood type}. fourth line is blank. Last line, USMC {big space} Y . I thought this should be a T for tetnus. What does the Y stand for????? thanks bob

kimi

Probably Yellow Fever.

babun

quote:Originally posted by kimi
Probably Yellow Fever.


The military vaccinated for yellow fever from 1940 to 1960???????

mark christian

Y (later YF) should indicate a Yellow Fever vaccination. The vaccine has been around since the late 1930s and Sailors and Marines were vaccinated as well as those in the Army who were going to be assigned to posts in West Africa, South America or the Pacific. The early vaccine had a lot nasty potential side effects so unless troops were likely to be in a Yellow fever zone they were not vaccinated against the disease. Since a double dose of the Yellow Fever vaccine could be downright dangerous the military wanted to make damned sure that no one was vaccinated twice and a notation was made on the dog tags. Tetanus vaccinations were not mandatory for troops who could show a reasonable certainty that they had been give a tetanus shot or booster with in the previous five years. During WWII there were such massive numbers of men entering the armed forces it was soon discovered that a lot of men from rural had not seen a doctor since the day they were born at home and quite a few had never even been to a hospital, much less received a tetanus shot. My great uncle was in the Merchant Marine in the Pacific during WWII and received an entire "kettle" full of vaccinations and said that the Yellow Fever vaccination was by far the worst of them all. His personnel record with the MM clearly listed a Y for Yellow Fever as a part of his series of vaccinations

babun

Thanks guys, I knew of all the rest, but never heard of the yellow fever marking. I can go back to bed now, I learned my one thing for today. The "Y" is in the normal vaccinating area. By the way, many did not have a date code next to the vaccine given. thanks again, bob

kimi

quote:Originally posted by mark christian
Y (later YF) should indicate a Yellow Fever vaccination. The vaccine has been around since the late 1930s and Sailors and Marines were vaccinated as well as those in the Army who were going to be assigned to posts in West Africa, South America or the Pacific. The early vaccine had a lot nasty potential side effects so unless troops were likely to be in a Yellow fever zone they were not vaccinated against the disease. Since a double dose of the Yellow Fever vaccine could be downright dangerous the military wanted to make damned sure that no one was vaccinated twice and a notation was made on the dog tags. Tetanus vaccinations were not mandatory for troops who could show a reasonable certainty that they had been give a tetanus shot or booster with in the previous five years. During WWII there were such massive numbers of men entering the armed forces it was soon discovered that a lot of men from rural had not seen a doctor since the day they were born at home and quite a few had never even been to a hospital, much less received a tetanus shot. My great uncle was in the Merchant Marine in the Pacific during WWII and received an entire "kettle" full of vaccinations and said that the Yellow Fever vaccination was by far the worst of them all. His personnel record with the MM clearly listed a Y for Yellow Fever as a part of his series of vaccinations


That's pretty much what we were told when I received the yellow fever shot along with my buds.

EDIT: Mark, I do believe that on some Dog Tags it was spelled out in caps.

kimi

quote:Originally posted by babun
quote:Originally posted by kimi
Probably Yellow Fever.


The military vaccinated for yellow fever from 1940 to 1960???????


I entered the service in 1960.