U.S. Army Ret. Col: 9/11 Was a Time of Intense Spiritual Warfare

Thousands remember the moment the deadliest terrorist attack took place on American soil. That experience was no different for decorated U.S. Army (Ret) Col. David Dodd, who remembers it was a time of high spiritual warfare.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Dodd had no idea that he and his new command, the 86th Signal Battalion, would soon deploy to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and later support Operation Iraqi Freedom, in America's War on Terrorism.

Days before the deployment, Dodd's sergeant major was in a Christian bookstore where he found some dog tags engraved with the scripture Joshua 1:9: "Be strong and courageous, do not be terrified or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

"I thought that that dog tag would be something that would encourage our soldiers during deployment," Dodd told CBN News.

Dodd ordered 500 of them, one for every soldier under his command for that initial deployment to Afghanistan following 9/11, from Shields of Strength, a company founded by Kenny Vaughan.

"Obviously, the Shields wouldn't stop a bullet, and they weren't good luck charms, but they were reminders of the power of God's Word," Dodd remembers. "My wife Sharon and I would pray for each of the soldiers in my command before we gave them the Shield of Strength and just before they boarded the transport for Afghanistan."

Dodd said it was one of the toughest experience but knew it was something he was called to do.

"Everybody in that unit wanted to go forward and take the fight to the enemy and away from the United States," he said.

Dodd's unit stayed until 2002 and, amazingly, there were no casualties. But he has not stopped praying for the military or the nation.

"I believe there is a determined enemy. There is somebody who has declared war on us, still at war with us. They're not going to stop fighting us. And for our nation to be safe and to be victorious we need to have God on our side and we need to turn to God and ask for his mercy, his protection, and his grace," Dodd said.

"I often pray 2 Chronicles 7:14," he added. "That if we would humble ourselves and turn from our wicked way and pray and seek God's face that he would forgive our sins and heal our land. It is my prayer still today that we would humble ourselves and seek God's face."

Dodd has shared more than 10,000 Shields of Strength with members of the military and U.S. and international leaders during his active military service.

Now he is building up members of the military, veterans, and families of the fallen soldiers, first responders and families of fallen responders; through a nonprofit called Point 27.