Better Than Fingerprints
Generations of American G.I.s have worn dog tags as a grim reminder that the U.S. military might someday need to identify their remains. But the Pentagon has now authorized a superior DNA-identification system, for which it will collect blood and saliva samples from all service personnel. The problem is that dog tags can be lost, switched or counterfeited, and fingerprints and dental records are not always reliable. Several casualties of Desert Storm, for example, went unidentified for weeks because of such problems. Using DNA samples taken from family members, though, Army experts were recently able to identify the remains of an American pilot killed 25 years ago over North Vietnam.
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Secretary of State HILLARY CLINTON, responding to NATO pledging an additional 7,000 troops to the war in Afghanistan. Clinton also acknowledged that "our people are weary of war" and cited President Obama's pledge to begin withdrawing U.S. forces in July 2011
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