U.S. Military Dog Tag Makes Propaganda Rounds

March 09, 2007 4:37 PM

Rhonda Schwartz Reports:

Gilbert_nr_1 What appears to be the official military ID of Major Troy Gilbert, a celebrated F-16 pilot who crashed to his death on a combat mission last fall in Iraq, is being circulated on the Internet in an advertisement for an upcoming Iraqi insurgent propaganda video entitled "The Missing."

Gilbert was initially declared "missing in action" when his body was not found with his plane by U.S. troops at the crash site.

Shortly afterward a video appeared on al Jazeera, which included close-ups of the wreckage, leading to speculation insurgents might have moved Gilbert's body.

A spokesman at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, where Gilbert's squadron is based, told ABC News today they are not aware of the posting and are surprised the military ID is circulating on the Internet.

The Air Force changed Gilbert's status from missing to deceased on Dec. 6, 2006, saying there had been a DNA match with remains recovered at the scene.

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The father of five was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

The advertisement being distributed on the Web by the "Islamic State of Iraq," a coalition of insurgent groups, including al Qaeda, which release frequent propaganda videos, was found today by Ben Venzke, an analyst for IntelCenter, which tracks and analyzes Arabic language Web sites.

Anna Schecter contributed to this report.

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March 9, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (14)

User Comments

The "propaganda" is not "perpetuated" by ABC News and we could do with a whole lot less of your censorship. The video is obviously already making the rounds in Iraq and among fighters, but you somehow think that showing it to American audiences will "perpetuate propaganda"? What, do you think the illegal Mexicans will stage a revolt or something after seeing this propaganda?

Be rational.

Posted by: Mike | Mar 9, 2007 6:28:14 PM

That is not a "Dog Tag". Dog tags are the 2 metal tags worn around the neck that has the service members name, SSN, blood type and religious preference. That is an ID card. But I guess using the term "Dog Tag" sounded better. You journalist types call it artistic lisence I believe.

Posted by: Darryl | Mar 9, 2007 8:07:02 PM

Thank you for your bravery and your faith in that the moslim world can be brought to a reformation which will make the whole world a better place.
Your sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Posted by: aj | Mar 9, 2007 8:45:21 PM

What you see appears to be a military ID and not a air force dog tag which is made of metal and worn around the neck.

Posted by: Anthony Gonzalez | Mar 10, 2007 11:04:40 AM

That isn't a dog tag or a military ID. That is something different, called a "CVC" or "CIC" or something similar. Military IDs - at least Air Force ones - don't look like that. You'll notice that this ID has a little smart card chip. Air Force "official" IDs don't have those. I know this because I went to get my military ID card made (I'm a dependent) and I read some notice about how those CVC things take 25 minutes minimum to make. Plus my military ID looks different.

Posted by: Andrew E. | Mar 11, 2007 9:49:26 AM

Dependent ID cards do not have the microchip in them, but active duty ID cards do. That card looks authentic to me- and it would certainly never be called a dog tag by anyone who knew anything about military life.

Posted by: Mary M. | Mar 11, 2007 2:08:54 PM

actually... the article is correct, the editor who crafted the wrong headline is at fault...
and not only that - but the point of the entire article is that the ID is being circulated within the Insurgency as propoganda essentially saying that this person was killed.
if people were to become as angry and unsettled about the whole point of the war as they are about the bogus Headline that some intern threw up on a News Website we may not be in this war in the first place... And to think Bush actually "honestly" won the election in 2004. It amazes me that individuals spend so much time critiqueing misprints, and not opening their eyes to elected puppets.

Posted by: clarifier | Mar 13, 2007 3:55:49 PM

I think it is sad that no one considers the feelings of this hero's family or loved-ones.

Posted by: Shelly D | Mar 13, 2007 9:33:56 PM

The pictured identification is known as a "CAC" or Common Access Card. The microchip contains certain person identifying information. It is often inserted into keyboard readers to access government computer terminals.

Posted by: SGT. Anonymys | Mar 14, 2007 12:51:52 PM

This is a "CAC" card. Common Access Card. It is an ID that allows for the use of things like the base dining facility, PX/BX, Morale & Welfare Facility, Gym, etc.

Dog tags are metal, worn around the neck, and primarily used for identification when injured or killed.

Posted by: Greg | Mar 17, 2007 2:07:27 AM

GET IT RIGHT! for once! ID card and dog tags are not the same! idiotic reporting such as this gives the insurgents a vehicle in which to move this trash around the internet. Your organization is getting just as bad as FOX.

Posted by: Tal Sims | Mar 17, 2007 9:25:48 AM

People are so concerned about identifying the card correctly. I regret that it was found by the enemy rather than our people.How sad that the Taliban is strong in Iraq and there are anti-Bush people who would have us pull out &
allow Taliban to put another despot
in power.Do you realize that daily death tolls are much less than the number of innocent people killed
here at home in drug wars, drive-by
shootings, road rage drunk driving
etc.The news is full of local area deaths but Service-count losses are nationwide.I'm a WW2 widow who
can speak for the soldier who would
be behind our President trying to
destroy the evil

Posted by: Barbara | Mar 21, 2007 10:38:44 AM

You want to blame the President for this war... WAKE UP America! Look at our long forgotten history! Look at 1980's Iran and Iraq war, look at who we supplied arms to. Look at the history of the cold war. OPEN YOUR EYES! There is more to the dang story than you want to realize and understand here. I as a American understand this, I as a MILITARY Member understand this. Our hands have been all over this... and it has been this way for a long time, before President Bush took office. Lay blame where it belongs with Presidents long dead. Ask your military members if they feel they are doing a job well done.. Most will tell you they are. Ask them if they want to pull out, Most will say HECK NO! Ask the ones that have lost limbs if their sacrifice where for not, and they will probably tell you LET ME GO AGAIN!! You are feeding the propaganda of the enemy by saying negative things about your President and this war. Stop listening to everything you hear on the television. Ask the ones who volunteer to fight.

Posted by: woody | Sep 13, 2007 5:24:55 PM

way to go woody! hit the nail right on the head. this is only GW Bush's war because of the timing. if it had happened under clinton's watch it would have been clintons folley, or whoever comes next... basically our predecessors wrote the story and it is now unfolding. i am a 10 year veteran of the US Military and have done some time over there as part of OEF and OIF. and i would gladly go back if called to do so. to think of how anti-military this war has made the american people... you would think this was vietnam all over again. we need to back the military... not turn our backs on them.
my dad is a retired marine, vietnam vet, that ran a little outpost he originally called operation shoebox, now called operation soaring eagle, that mailed care packages to troops in harms way. this year alone he has sent packages to over 650 troops totalling almost 3,000 pounds. and mostly funding it himself, with small donations from local companies. if we all could follow his example, maybe our servicemen and women over there would see the support. but rght now all i hear from the american people as a whole... "this war is unjust... this war is illegal... this war is unethical...." yeah.. so what. its here, and we have to fight it or we will let a nuclear power have complete control of the region. and Iran WILL use the nukes it has. dont let ABC/FOX/CNN/MSNBC fool you. they have them... or are really close to having them...
and if they have a chance to use them... they will. left wingers need to learn that this isnt a war that we can just push aside and forget about. we will be in this for a long time. because our fathers, or our fathers fathers wrote it that way.

Posted by: Jeff | Dec 10, 2007 9:46:41 PM

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