Contact The American War Library | Home | Wallet Card
What To Do
With Found Dogtags...
Contact The American War Library | Home | Wallet Card
What To Do
With Found Dogtags...
Lost dogtags are the Property of the United States Government. Lost dogtags are not the Property of the veteran who wore them, nor are they the property of the veterans family
1. Found U.S. Military items remain the property of the United States Government and the Department of Defense as official custodian.
2. Found military items should not be retained by the finder who is seeking, for whatever reason, to make personal contact with the GI who lost the item, or a member of the GI's family, or seeking to trade the dogtags for US citizenship. By law, found military items must be mailed immediately to:
Secretary of Defense
Room 3E880
The Pentagon
Washington DC 20301
3. The Dept of Defense has many resources at its disposal to return and/or preserve lost U.S. military items.
4. When sending items to the Secretary of Defense the finder should include a letter describing the place and circumstances in which the item was found, and the finders personal contact information for Department of Defense investigators:
WHERE WAS THE ITEM YOU HAVE ENCLOSED FOUND
_________________________________________________________
DATE THE ITEM WAS FOUND
_________________________________________________________
NAME OF FINDER
_________________________________________________________
FINDER'S ADDRESS
____________________________________________________
CITY
____________________________________________________
STATE/ZIP
____________________________________________________
PHONE
____________________________________________________
EMAIL
____________________________________________________
Found dogtags must be mailed to the Department of Defense or the nearest United States Embassy.
Mailing address for
the Department of Defense:
Secretary of Defense
Room 3E880, The Pentagon
Washington DC 20301