A Christian jewelry company has regained its right to produce military-themed dog tags after reaching a “multimillion-dollar” settlement with the U.S. Defense Department.
The Pentagon had previously revoked agreements that allowed Shields of Strength to place trademarked military service logos alongside Christian symbols and Bible verses.
More than five years later, however, First Liberty Institute — which represented the company — said in a statement that the settlement restored the firm’s license and allowed production of its religious dog tag replicas to resume.
It said the Defense Department “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.”
The firm could not disclose the exact amount paid, according to news outlet Stars and Stripes.
Kenny Vaughan, owner of Shields of Strength, 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.”
He added: “We are blessed that we can once again meet the needs of our fighting men and women.”
According to the lawsuit referenced by Stars and Stripes, Vaughan began making the tags in 1998 and received a trademark license in 2011 from the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, while the Navy did not grant a license because of the religious nature of the products.
The company lost its agreements in 2019 after the Military Religious Freedom Foundation submitted complaints to the Defense Department’s trademark offices.