Dog tags

Every soldier in the Colonial Fleet wears hexagonally shaped identification tags around their neck.

The two tags presumably contain the rank, name, and serial number of the soldier, as well as their ship or troop assignment.

In the event of the soldier's death, identification tags on the soldier's body aid in identification, particularly if damage to the soldier's body renders the body difficult or impossible to identify. Soldiers retrieve the tags from a body if possible during combat if unable to return with the dead soldier's body, as did Chief Galen Tyrol for soldiers Tarn and Crashdown, for return to a superior officer later (Fragged).

Captain Kelly was the somber recipient of nearly 85 identification tags from dead Galactica crewmen trapped in the port flight pod when it was vented to space by order of Colonel Tigh to prevent a catastrophic ship explosion (Miniseries).

When Starbuck had to leave Samuel Anders to return to Galactica, she gave him her ID tags as a promise that she would return (The Farm), which she eventually did (Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I).

Note

"Identification tags" is a descriptive term (not a canonical name) created by Battlestar Wiki. In the episode, "Downloaded," the tags found on Samuel Anders are referred to as "Colonial Fleet ID." It is tempting, but technically incorrect, to use the colloquial American military term of "dog tags" to describe these items as the tags are obviously similar in function to those used in the real-world United States military.