American Bible Society A History of Serving Those Who Serve
For 193 years (1817-2010) and through nine wars, ABS has provided Scriptures to millions of men and women in the U.S. armed forces.
1817
Bibles go to the crew of the USS John Adams.
1846 – 1848
Mexican War
Both the American forces and Mexican civilians are supplied.
1861 – 1865
Civil War
5,297,832 Scriptures go to both North and South.
1898
Spanish-American War
75,000 Scriptures deployed.
1917 – 1918
World War I
6,387,943 Scriptures sent to the troops of several nations.
1941 – 1945
World War II
7,420,910 Scriptures deployed.
1950 – 1953
Korean War
3,877,147 Scriptures deployed.
1959 – 1975
Vietnam Conflct
18,576,941 Scriptures deployed.
2001 to the present:
Since the United States announced war against terrorism — the most protracted and in some ways most difficult in U.S. history — 2 million New Testaments and more than 900,000 full Bibles and other Scripture resources have been deployed.
Learn more about the history of American Bible Society though our interactive timeline »
Thanks to the support of our faithful financial partners, American Bible Society has been engaging people with the life-changing message of God’s Word for more than 200 years.
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