Knowing your blood type is very important, especially to soldiers. When a soldier is out in the field and needs blood immediately, this knowledge can be the difference between life and death. That is why blood type has been designated on Dog Tags for over 70 years.
As shown in this chart, O Positive is the most common type of blood (38% of the population) with A Positive the second most common type of blood (34% of the population). O Positive blood is the most needed type of blood since more people have it – more people need it.
If you have O blood, then you can only receive O blood. People with O Negative blood are “universal blood donors”. In an emergency O Negative blood can be given to anybody regardless of their blood type. However, it is important to note that people with O Negative blood can only receive O Negative blood.
The best way to find out your blood type is to donate your blood. Check out the web page of the American Red Cross to find out more and find the nearest American Red Cross office to you.
Rolled Edge to Front (the rolled edge can be seen when reading the text) is how we usually stamp Current Issue dog tags.
WWII and Korea era dog tags were stamped with the rolled edge to the back (the rolled edge can not be seen when reading the text).