11/23/2011 - Tech. Sgt. Allen Puckett, unit deployment manager for the 452nd Maintenance Squadron, uses a 1938 Graphotype Addressograph machine to emboss dog tags for members of the 452nd Maintenance Group at March Air Reserve Base, Calif., Nov. 8, 2011. According to photographer Chaz Hill's research, during the Civil War, the need arose for durable identification tags for wounded and deceased service members and by the early 21st century, round metal “dog tags” were authorized by the Army, and later made mandatory for all service members. During World War II, the Army issued stainless steel tags with the familiar shape of a rectangle with rounded edges.