We are happy to announce that after a years-long legal battle, Shields of Strength has reached a settlement with the Department of War and can resume producing its popular military-themed dog tags with inspirational Bible verses for service members and their families.
“This is a great victory not only for Shields of Strength and its owner, Kenny Vaughan, but also for the brave men and women of our armed forces and their families,” said Erin Smith, Associate Counsel for First Liberty Institute.
“Our service members and their families wear Shields of Strength dog tags as a reminder of the selfless service and sacrifice of those who protect our freedom and a reminder of their faith and trust in God,” she added. “We are thankful that now another generation of patriots can share in this rich tradition.”
Shields of Strength is a faith-based company that graciously provides replica military dog tags with inspirational Bible verses to active-duty service members, veterans and their families. Over the past 25 years, they’ve donated more than two million tags to our military community.
After an anti-religious group filed a complaint against the company, the Department of War and each Service Branch imposed a prohibition on Shields’ production and distribution of its dog tags. This prohibition stopped Shields from making their dog tags for over five years. First Liberty filed a federal lawsuit on the company’s behalf seeking to stop the government from enforcing its discriminatory policy.
Our attorneys reached a multi-million dollar settlement with the Department of War that allows the company to resume production. The Department will correct its licensing policy to allow products like Shields of Strength and ensure a process is in place to renew the licenses in the future.
“Shields of Strength has been a source of strength and encouragement for our military heroes for over 25 years,” said Kenny Vaughan, owner of Shields of Strength. “Every dog tag we ever made was at the request of the troops and their families and it was our honor to do so. We are blessed that we can once again meet the needs of our fighting men and women.”
