Service dog tags in Traveller

[samuelvss]

Currently, the ID cards issued to members of the U.S. armed forces provide identification and access; they have the ability to carry other data. Whether they do or not, I am not sure. Even at this tech level, they contain multiple means of conveying information. As memebers of the the Imperium's armed forces will be operating on worlds of varying tech levels, I would posit that they would carry tags that have the highest tech encryption for identifying data, including biometrics, along with methods for being read at lower tech levels, down to embossing text and recessing a picture of the wearer. RFID may be present, as a convenience, even though it may not survive EMP; in a scramble to board the assault craft as the mother ship has been hit, the scanner at the lock notes who boards, and transmits the "hatch-closed-manifest" to the ship's computer. When all craft are away, the ship transmits an encrypted manifest to the fleet, all without sophants having to divert their attention from the unfolding emergency. When trying to convince the TL3 residents of the planet upon which Spaceman Spiff of the IISS has crashed his ship that he is in fact an officer of the Imperium, having the Imperial Sunburst, his picture and writing upon his ID tags might be a good thing: an interstellar, cross-cultural blood chit; dog tags; ID card; and flash drive?

I hadn't thoght of that one: ID tag is inserted into helmet, and acts as a mini "black box," recording the most recent events a servicemember experiences through hemet cams and other monitors?

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

This thread is awesome.

First off the above totally describes something that always bothered me since the day I cracked open my much treasured Supplement 12: Charts and Forms. Why does this high tech Empire have a spot for thumbprints and "Flat Photo". I mean I understand that it is there for cool player handout/props, but I always wondered none the less.

Now I know, so low tech Natives can get the Symbolism "This is me. I am important. Please, do not kill me. I am worth more in Ransom." kind of thing. Very cool and very snatched. Plus super bonus points for Spaceman Spiff.

 

[BlackBat242]

Currently, the ID cards issued to members of the U.S. armed forces provide identification and access; they have the ability to carry other data. Whether they do or not, I am not sure. Even at this tech level, they contain multiple means of conveying information.

And they still carry separate dog tags.

 

[shadowdragon]

Id cards are for passes and general id of person. dogtags are for id of meat sack. dogtags only need name, basic medical info (just blood type for low tl) and religious preferences because by the time you get to needing them for id, thats the most important 3 pieces of information - frequently in reverse order of need, name aint all that important till they determine if you are alive or dead or somewhere in between.

just my CR0.02

s

 

[aramis]

Id cards are for passes and general id of person. dogtags are for id of meat sack. dogtags only need name, basic medical info (just blood type for low tl) and religious preferences because by the time you get to needing them for id, thats the most important 3 pieces of information - frequently in reverse order of need, name aint all that important till they determine if you are alive or dead or somewhere in between.

just my CR0.02

s

I know that, by 1987, the US Army didn't agree with you.

Any major medical issues were on an additional tag, a red tag. Mine noted my drug allergies.

 

[shadowdragon]

The army always has been bass ackwards- the navy agreed with me in 1987. I had and still have exactly what I described, and as far as I can recall so did the people I knew who joined a few years later. after 1990 I dunno tho. Regardless, the red tag would still be more important in emergency situations, letting the medics know what not to give someone or other special concerns, rather than in a routine situation where you could actually speak to the doctor.

 

[far-trader]

Do I sense some inter-services rivalry shadowdragon? If anything it seems to me the Army is more progressive than the Navy with the red tag, however, even they seem woefully late to the game* since MedicAlert has been doing this since 1956

* or was it that anything the red tag might show would have been a medically unfit deal breaker for enlistment before that?

So not only do I see such in place for serving Traveller military characters (who may keep them post-muster) but also for some Travellers, civilian and military, throughout their life. For example in MTU the TAS membership includes a MedicAlert type ID.

Tags and such have a couple basic benefits that haven't been mentioned yet that I see.

First they are generally always worn and known to be found in the same place, easily located by medics. Unlike other ID that may be forgotten or require a lengthy search of the person to find, delaying treatment.

Second they are only valuable for identifying emergency medical info and the person's basic ID. They are not generally items that someone will steal as they have little or no value. Again, unlike other forms of ID that may be quite valuable and prone to theft for their high value.

 

[shadowdragon]

Inter-service rivalry? nawwww....its an open secret that the army is the long term occupation arm of the USN. the marines take it, the army holds it, the navy protects em all..its a polite fiction that has the army and the army air co...errr i mean the air force as "separate" branches. once we dump this rock for better real estate out there, the navy will be leading the way (as usual)- just wait and see.:rofl:

 

[Higgipedia]

My ID Tags contain my Name, SSN, Blood Type, and Religious Preference. The blood type and religious preference are clearly there to help ID a body and to help it along to it's final destination in accordance with it's wishes. It's basically a quick reference tool to help dispose of the dead efficiently. They don't need to change much to keep this function, but superdense materials make them pretty awesome.

 

[Cryton]

My ID Tags contain my Name, SSN, Blood Type, and Religious Preference. The blood type and religious preference are clearly there to help ID a body and to help it along to it's final destination in accordance with it's wishes. It's basically a quick reference tool to help dispose of the dead efficiently. They don't need to change much to keep this function, but superdense materials make them pretty awesome.

Blood Type is actually there to save your life in the case that your unconscious and in need of blood. Its listed so the transfusion doesn't kill you. But your right about the religious preference....

 

[Higgipedia]

Blood Type is actually there to save your life in the case that your unconscious and in need of blood. Its listed so the transfusion doesn't kill you. But your right about the religious preference....

Not true anymore.

Because of the advances in medical technology, in this particular case the speed of blood typing, no one gets blood without it first being tested and typed to ensure the blood being given is proper.

 

[far-trader]

Not true anymore.

Because of the advances in medical technology, in this particular case the speed of blood typing, no one gets blood without it first being tested and typed to ensure the blood being given is proper.

In a proper hospital setting (or at least a high level first responder unit) I presume? I'm pretty sure hospitals don't engage in a transfusion without typing the blood, even in the past when it took time.

And what about in the field with a medic having to do a quick direct donor transfusion? Then knowing both the required blood type and those of the potential donors, pdq, seems critical.

Granted, in the far-future of Traveller I expect that the portable medical scanners can do the blood typing instantly. It may not be required in most cases though as there are likely perfected universal donor plasma banks churning out ideal transfusion units.

 

[BlackBat242]

First Batch of DARPA's Synthetic Blood Delivered to FDA, Could Be on Battlefields Soon
07.08.2010

Perhaps ranking behind only bullets and water, blood is one of those things you really don't want to run out of on the battlefield. But better battlefield medicine -- as well as some of the more malicious combat techniques employed by insurgent guerrilla fighters -- mean more soldiers are surviving their injuries, and that puts military blood banks in a bind. But a DARPA program launched in 2008 is coming to fruition, potentially providing medics an endless stream of universally accepted O-negative blood through a process known as blood pharming.

Two years ago, DARPA set a goal of creating a self-contained, synthetic platform that can cultivate red blood cells that can stand up to the violent demands of the battlefield. Through the process of "pharming," or genetically engineering an organism to generate large quantities of a useful substance, the DoD's R&D arm was hoping to end blood shortages on the battlefield for good.

More at this link: DARPA's synthetic blood enters testing

 

[Higgipedia]

And what about in the field with a medic having to do a quick direct donor transfusion? Then knowing both the required blood type and those of the potential donors, pdq, seems critical.

Blood typing is available at most aid stations. Virtually nothing in the field requires typing. Direct donor transfusion? Not bloody likely. Way outside the scope of medics these days. Maybe in the past, but not in the 2010 military medical community. To confirm, I asked one of the SF Medical Sergeants I work with, who have CONSIDERABLY more training than your average medic and he just laughed. "Not just no, but heck* no!"

*edited

With the advent of better C3 and transportation methods, the field medic has become a much more specialized animal. Most of the time it's stabilization in order to get them back to the surgeons. SOF Units, with their more isolated missions, tend to have better trained medics, since you can't always count on that support.

How medics are in the Traveller Universe depends on the C3 and Transportation abilities in relation to the doctors.

If a doctor is a Medic-2, then most field medics would be Medic-0 and SOF medics would be Medic-1.

 

[aramis]

CT and MT make a doctor Medical 3, not Medical 2...

MEDICS
Any character with at least Medical-1 is a medic and is eligible to be hired as a medic on a starship crew.
Any character with at least Medical-3 is a doctor and may establish an independent medical practice.
Any doctor with Dex 8 + is a surgeon as well as a doctor.​

MT, p23, RC.

Medical-1 is sufficent to qualify a character for the position of medic on a starship crew. An
expertise of medic-2 or better allows a DM of +1 when reviving low passengers (each normally
throws 5+ to revive after a trip; otherwise the passenger dies.
Medical3 is sufficient for a character to be called doctor, and assumes a license to practice
medicine, including writing prescriptions, handling most ailments, and dealing with other
doctors on a professional level. A dexterity of 8+ is required for a doctor to also be a surgeon.​

CT Bk 1 p20.

 

[far-trader]

So I'm left pondering, just what info will be on the tags of Imperial Services Personnel?

We don't really need blood type, it'll be typed instantly by the medic if needed, and it likely won't be needed as the tech will allow safe universal transfusions.

Traveller is pretty mum on the whole religions angle. There are some vague mentions of certain sects and such but my feeling has always been the 3I is agnostic and/or has a don't ask, don't tell policy. Freedom of worship certainly, but also freedom from worship. NOT TO DRAG THIS OFF INTO REAL RELIGION! So, I don't think we need the religion listing either.

That leaves the classic name, rank, and serial number. Right?

How about adding homeworld? Needed? Or not really?

Secondly a thought taken from tattooed tags some services employed, what about bone etched data?

Pros:
Not obviously visible (handy for coverts). Not easily damaged. Easily read by close penetrating scans. Info could be added to (such as promotions, adding a hash mark for example). Lots of bones to work on, could be done on a few even (skull, upper arm, and lower leg?) to insure id despite separation or even extensive damage.

Con:
May be overgrown by new bone (maybe? old breaks and fractures still show years later iirc, so maybe the etching would only require a touch up each re-up?).

Other pros and cons I've missed?

 

[shadowdragon]

Blood typing is available at most aid stations. Virtually nothing in the field requires typing. Direct donor transfusion? Not bloody likely. Way outside the scope of medics these days. Maybe in the past, but not in the 2010 military medical community. To confirm, I asked one of the SF Medical Sergeants I work with, who have CONSIDERABLY more training than your average medic and he just laughed. "Not just no, but heck* no!"

*edited

With the advent of better C3 and transportation methods, the field medic has become a much more specialized animal. Most of the time it's stabilization in order to get them back to the surgeons. SOF Units, with their more isolated missions, tend to have better trained medics, since you can't always count on that support.

How medics are in the Traveller Universe depends on the C3 and Transportation abilities in relation to the doctors.

If a doctor is a Medic-2, then most field medics would be Medic-0 and SOF medics would be Medic-1.

The discussion isn't so much about how information on dog tags is used, but what information is there. The current US military may not specifically
need the blood type on the tags in 99% of cases but it is still listed just in case. The blood type was and is there so you are not given the wrong blood type in an emergency situation. IIRC my blood type was also on my ID card for the navy, but its been a while and I could be misremembering that. but I recall it being on the back of the card along with other identifying information. This all could be a moot point tho - as I also seem to recall that while the tags have a variety of uses, including as a slot head screwdriver, the primary function was for identifying bodies when being removed after a battle. Ask a veteran what the little notch on dogtags is for- only one tag gets attached to the paperwork, the other one stays with the body.......o:

 

[rancke]

Ask a veteran what the little notch on dogtags is for- only one tag gets attached to the paperwork, the other one stays with the body.......o:

There is a recurring myth about the notch situated in one end of the dog tags issued to United States Army personnel during World War II. It was rumored that the notch's purpose was so that if a soldier found one of his comrades on the battlefield, he could take one tag to the commanding officer and stick the other between the teeth of the soldier to ensure that the tag would remain with the body and be identified. In reality the notch was designed to hold the tag in place when being imprinted on the carbon paper medical form by the Model 70 "Addressograph" (a pistol-type imprinting machine used by the Medical Department during World War II). [3] The purpose and use of the notch was verified by a Snopes article, in which Snopes consulted with US Army Mortuary Affairs. [4]

As a side note, it appears instructions that would confirm the notch's mythical use were issued at least unofficially by the Graves Registration Service during the Vietnam War to Army troops headed overseas. [5]

Hans

 

[kafka47]

IMTU, the Imperium is a much darker force than what some others portray it as...

Therefore, part of the joining of the services means having your bioprofile loaded upon central computers, biometric signatures added to the level of the DNA, this information is used mainly for benign purposes** but is exchanged from Starport to Starport (A,B,C) with every mail packet each hospital is obliged to send medical records to the Central Computer.

So, yes, it is possible for citizens to live off the grid but it requires usually just a mundane planetary existence which does not preclude planetary governments do not share this information with the Imperium (for as noted even medical records are shared with the Imperium). Truly in the Imperium, everyone has their place and knows where it is.

Travellers (PCs) form a partial exception to this rule. While they may know about all of the above, they choose to live outside of the grid and that is one of the things that make them heroic.

Another exception is the other Interstellar Polities that are independent of the Imperium. Each of them has separate datasets and may keep other details. Hence creating real borders that are not only cultural/racial but political.

**You know what they say about evil being banal...

 

[shadowdragon]

its wiki. which basically means its 100% accurate, some of the time. could be an urban/military myth, could be the truth- honestly with the way many people react to "desecrating" bodies, I would hesitate to let it get around if that were standard practice. I just know what I was told when I was in the military. I herd a lot of male bovine defecation back then..I dont bother trying to sort it out anymore- someone will always disagree with me regardless:rofl:



And the notch is for opening beer.......