In Annettes own words
How It All Happened.....

Having Luke in Iraq (March 04-05), Luke's troop was based out of Texas, and I live in Wisconsin, so I had no Family Readiness Support group to lean on, except through e-mail, which is not the same. So I had "little" support, no one really "knew" what it was like to have a son in war around here. Some people were very rude with negative comments about the war, which totally tore my mom's heart in half, my son was fighting for THEIR freedom and was laying his life down for them. I cried alot because no one knew what I was going through. As a Christian, I turn to Jesus for courage and strength. In March-April '05, when I heard the news of our surrounding area of National Guards being activated, instantly my heart was so burdened for the families. I did not want them to go through what I went through. I started to pray if I could have some kind of support group in my home, and God and His word started to direct me. Since Luke was a sniper and gunner on top of the humvee, he hardly ever shared his war stories with me because he did not want to scare his mother. Also, Luke needed time to heal from this war. So in May 2005, God directed me to read the book "Faith of an American Soldier" that I bought from the Christian book store. And that is where I read about the "Shields of Strength" dog tags. The book had the website, so I checked it out.

So I started to purchase the dog tags in small amounts to give to the families. The response was so thankful and they would say that they would wear the dog tags until their family member would come back home from the war. I would wrap my arms around these family members and they would say to me "you know exactly what this is like". I would say "yes, but the same comfort that I received I want to give to you." The old saying "been there, done that" is coming true........unless you have been through a war trial, how can truly come along the side of another to really help minister to them. Some one has to be first! More of our men in our area were being sent, and the more my heart went out to them and their families. God gave US this ministry!

Never would I ever thought we would be involved in something like this! LOOK how God orchastrated to have you girls come along aside of me to help, using YOUR different gifts....like taking pictures,etc!

God is good!
This is my story..........
thank you so very much!