IN 1905, THE U.S. WAR DEPARTMENT OFFICIALLY ADOPTED FINGERPRINTS AS A MEANS OF POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION OF ARMED FORCES PERSONNEL. THE BENEFITS OF FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION WERE ILLUSTRATED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S ABILITY TO POSITIVELY IDENTIFY ALL 45,952 AMERICANS KILLED IN THE VIETNAM WAR. THIS CONTRASTS SHARPLY TO PREVIOUS WARS IN WHICH MANY OF THOSE KILLED WERE NEVER IDENTIFIED. FROM WORLD WAR TWO UNTIL 1974, ALL FINGERPRINT RECORDS WERE SENT TO THE FBI FOR CHECKING. IN 1974, THIS PRACTICE WAS BANNED WHEN FINGERPRINTS WERE DELETED FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE'S NEW IDENTIFICATION CARD AND TAKING FINGERPRINTS OF ALL NEW PERSONNEL CEASED. 2ANY FRAUDULENT ENLISTMENTS HAVE BEEN THE RESULT. FOR EXAMPLE, AN ESTIMATED 11,000 ALIENS ARE CURRENTLY SERVING IN THE U.S. ARMY. MOREOVER, RECRUITERS HAVE 5HWARTED POLICE CHECKS OF RECRUITS' RECORDS BY FINGERPRINTING ONLY THE RIGHT THUMB OR BY DELETING THE FIRST LETTER OF THE RECRUIT'S LAST NAME FROM FORMS SENT TO THE POLICE. CURRENTLY, ONLY APPLICANTS FOR SECURITY CLEARANCES MUST SUBMIT FINGERPRINTS TO THE FBI, BUT THE WORDING OF CURRENT REGULATIONS MAKES EVEN THIS USE OF FINGERPRINTS UNLIKELY. BESIDES FRAUDULENT ENLISTMENTS, THE MAIN RESULTS OF CURRENT POLICIES HAVE BEEN EVASION OF COURT TRIALS BY CERTAIN CRIMINAL OFFENDERS, THE POTENTIAL GRANTING OF SECURITY CLEARANCES TO POSSIBLE SECURITY RISKS, AND THE INABILITY TO IDENTITY THE DEAD, ESPECIALLY JUNIOR ENLISTED INFANTRYMEN WHO WOULD COMPRISE THE MAJORITY OF COMBAT DEATHS IN WAR. A REFERENCE LIST IS INCLUDED. (CFW)