“Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, ‘What should be the reward of such sacrifices?’ … If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands, which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!” —Samuel Adams (1777)

We hear from our Military and Veteran readers more than any group among our large ranks of American Patriots. Earlier this week, one wrote to thank our team: “Just a note of gratitude for your steadfast support to our nation’s Active Duty and Veteran military members. Having served in combat operations both in Iraq and Afghanistan, your devotion to our warfighters and families is much appreciated. Semper Fi!”

In 2025, I dedicated a column to “The 250th Anniversary of America’s Armed Forces,” noting that the year marked the anniversary of the 1775 founding of the U.S. Army (14 June), the U.S. Navy (13 October), and the U.S. Marine Corps (10 November). All were established by the Continental Congress during the Revolution for American Liberty.

There are four national days each year when we have the privilege of honoring the military service of our uniformed American Patriots: National Medal of Honor Day (25 March), Armed Forces Day (third Saturday in May), Memorial Day (last Monday in May), and Veterans Day (11 November).

This is one of those years when Armed Forces Day falls a week before Memorial Day, which is very fitting.

On the heels of Armed Forces Day last Saturday, and in preparation for Memorial Day this coming Monday, let me share some good news about one of our supporters: Beaumont, Texas, native Kenny Vaughan, who has devoted much of the last 25 years to serving military personnel, Veterans, and their families.

In 1998, Kenny was inspired to start producing Shields of Strength dog tags for distribution to military personnel and their families. The original stainless-steel tags were imprinted with a paraphrase of Joshua 1:9: “I will be strong and courageous. I will not be terrified or discouraged for the Lord my God is with me wherever I go.” On the other side was our flag and “I will support and defend … so help me God.” Later, Shields were produced in pewter with one of the military service branch emblems. Within a couple of years, the tags were being distributed through vendors nationwide.

In 2001, after the 9/11 Islamist attack on our nation, Army Colonel David Dodd, commander of the 86th Signal Battalion (then headquartered at Fort Huachuca, Arizona), was being deployed with his soldiers to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.

Dodd contacted Kenny and his wife, Tammie, about a bulk purchase of 500 Shields for his combat-ready troops. Without hesitation, the Vaughans donated the Shields, and that began a new chapter in their lives, raising support to provide as many Shields of Strength as they could to military personnel.

Soon thereafter, The Patriot Post partnered with Kenny to form Operation Shield of Strength, raising funds to purchase bulk quantities of the dog tags for distribution to military units and family support groups at no charge.

Most service members were not aware of Shields of Strength until the death of Army Ranger CPT Russell Rippetoe, who was murdered at a checkpoint in Iraq by a homicide bomber — the first casualty of Operation Iraqi Freedom to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

A month after Rippetoe’s interment, President George W. Bush, in his Memorial Day remarks at Arlington, mentioned that CPT Rippetoe was wearing a Shield of Strength and read the inscription. Russell’s father, retired LTC Joe Rippetoe (disabled after two tours of duty in Vietnam), noted further, “All the men who served with my son wear the shield around their necks, as do many of the elite 75th Rangers.”

That mention put the donation of Shields into high gear, and in the years that followed, Kenny and Tammy have produced more than four million of the dog tags. Stephen Mansfield, in his little guidebook, “Faith of the American Soldier,” wrote that during the OEF and OIF campaigns, “aside from the official insignias they wear, [the SOS dog tag] is the emblem most often carried by members of the military in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

Then, predictably, after Barack Obama was elected, his administration began erecting barriers to faith expression in the military.

I wrote previously about Obama’s “End Run on ‘So Help Me God’,” in which he endeavored to have those words removed from military Oaths of Enlistment and Oaths of Commissioned Officers. The Patriot Post broke that story and helped put an end to it.

But that did not stop Obama. He later attempted to use Section 532 of the National Defense Authorization Act to suppress First Amendment Religious Expression in the military.

And eventually, that effort to trample the rights of our warriors caught up with Kenny and Shields of Strength.

In 2011, the Department of Defense added a policy prohibiting religious speech. That was the year the American Bible Society and other groups were ordered to stop printing military Bibles with service-branch logos.

But Shields of Strength was able to fly under the radar until 2019, when a Fox News report on the distribution of Shields prompted the so-called Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), the ACLU wannabe ostensibly “protecting” military personnel from religious liberty, to file a complaint with the DOD. The complaint pertained to the use of military logos with the Shields, similar to the complaint against the American Bible Society.

At the time, Kenny noted, “I was shocked that there are groups in America that would go on the attack against Shields of Strength that have inspired so many of our fighting men and women.”

On the basis of the MRFF complaint, the Army notified Kenny of a cease-and-desist order, asserting he was not authorized to place Biblical verses on any products that also featured the Army logo, even though he was licensed to use the logo. Similar warnings followed from other service branch legal bureaucrats, who also demanded that Kenny destroy his inventory and the production molds for military Shields.

That is when the legal defense team at First Liberty stepped in to defend the right to use Bible verses with the logos.

Now, after seven years of legal battles, Kenny finally prevailed when Shields of Strength reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with the Department of War, ending the case. According to the settlement terms, the Department of War has updated its licensing policies to permit faith-based messaging on products with official logos.

According to Erin Smith, associate counsel for First Liberty Institute: “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. 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. We are thankful that now another generation of patriots can share in this rich tradition.”

For his part, Kenny said: “Shields of Strength has been a source of strength and encouragement for our military heroes for over 25 years. 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.”

Kenny is now retooling the molds and hopes to produce the military Shields again soon. Small quantities are still available at our Patriot Shop website, with sales proceeds supporting our Military Mission of Service.

Ahead of Memorial Day this year, in honor of CPT Russell Rippetoe and generations before and since who have sacrificed their lives for American Liberty, this settlement under the leadership of Donald Trump’s Department of War is another step back from the leftist abyss.

On Sunday, Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna will once again host the Memorial Day Concert from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, starting at 8 p.m. It will be broadcast live by PBS.

Finally, regarding all those “Memorial Day Sales,” remind those who don’t understand how offensive that is that more than 1.3 million American Patriots have already paid the full price.

To more fully appreciate the service and sacrifice of our Military Patriots, I invite you to read our Profiles of Valor on American Patriots who have served all of us with honor and distinction, at mortal risk to their own lives.

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776

Follow Mark Alexander on X/Twitter.

Comment | Share

---

Please join us in praying for our Creator’s blessing upon our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail so we could be united as Americans. Pray for the protection of and provision for our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Lift up your Patriot Post team and our mission to support and defend our legacy of American Liberty, that we would ignite the fires of freedom in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

Thank you for supporting our nation’s premier online journal of Liberty.