First Liberty Institute announced that Shields of Strength has reached a multi-million dollar settlement with the Department of War that allows the company to resume production of its popular military-themed dog tags with inspirational Bible verses for service members and their families. The settlement comes after production of these tags had been halted for more than five years following a complaint from an anti-religious group.
“This is a great a 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 servicemembers, 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. We are thankful that now another generation of patriots can share in this rich tradition.”
“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.”
According to the settlement, Shields now has a license to resume production of the popular military-themed replica dog tags with encouraging Bible verses. The Department of War will correct its licensing policy to allow products like Shields of Strength, work to provide notice to military leaders and exchanges that Shields now has a license for its products, and ensure a process is in place to renew the licenses in the future.
Shields of Strength’s dog tags have been proudly worn by service members around the world for decades. To date, over four million Shields of Strength dog tags have been distributed, with two million donated by Shields. In 2019 the Department of War prohibited Shields from producing or selling licensed items with religious content after an anti-religious group sent a cease-and-desist letter. First Liberty responded by filing a federal lawsuit on behalf of Shields.
