Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum has installed an open air tribute to the service members that gave their lives in the conflicts following September 11, 2001. Across from the University of Pittsburgh and following the steps up to the main hall, the Dog Tag Memorial features 7,053 dog tags, each representing an individual who lost their life in military service over the past two decades.

The installation, which runs through October 11, suspends thousands of dog tags between the light posts across the walkway leading to the museum’s entrance on Fifth Avenue. This moving exhibit includes 6,749 regular dog tags and 304 special flag dog tags, the latter symbolizing each fallen service member from Pennsylvania. Visitors walking beneath the display may hear the gentle jingling of the dog tags, a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by these men and women.

The Dog Tag Memorial is free and open to the public 24 hours a day, inviting visitors to reflect on the lives lost in the wars and conflicts following 9/11.

Mickael Kraus, a curator and Civil War historian at Soldiers & Sailors, discussed the history of dog tags. Kraus explained that before the Civil War, soldiers killed in battle were often unidentified. The creation of national cemeteries, such as the one at Gettysburg, sparked efforts to improve identification. Early identification methods, like the McClellan tag, gave way to more standardized dog tags issued by the U.S. Army in 1907.

The tradition of using dog tags for identification, which has evolved through multiple wars, is central to the memorial’s theme of honoring fallen soldiers. Today’s dog tags carry forward the legacy of those early innovations, ensuring that no soldier goes unidentified.

The Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum was created to serve as a lasting tribute to U.S. military service members. The Dog Tag Memorial specifically honors the generation of Americans who enlisted following the tragic events of September 11, 2001. In the year following the attacks, 181,510 Americans enlisted for active duty, with an additional 72,908 joining the reserves. The exhibit allows the community to pay respects and reflect on the impact of those lost lives, ensuring they are never forgotten.

For those wishing to visit, the memorial will remain open until October 11, providing an opportunity for reflection and remembrance.