American Bible Society Responds to Fort Hood Tragedy

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2009—The following is a statement from Lamar Vest, president and CEO of the American Bible Society in response to the shooting at Fort Hood yesterday:

"We extend our heartfelt condolences and prayers to the victims, their families and our military comrades who have been affected by the shooting at Fort Hood. 

We have been in contact with Chaplains at Fort Hood and are working closely with them to ensure there are ample grief and Bible resources to help anyone affected by this tragedy.

For 192 years, the American Bible Society has worked with and supported the U.S. military by providing the hope of the Bible.  Our words cannot match the height of our appreciation or the depth of our sorrow for those who live and die to protect and defend the freedoms we enjoy."

American Bible Society - Military Partnership History:

• Distributed Bibles to the crew on the U.S.S. John Adams in 1817
• Provided Bibles to both the North and South during the Civil War
• Provided Bibles to U.S. soldiers during the Mexican War
• Delivered Bibles to U.S. troops serving in WWI
• Distributed more than 7.4 million pieces of Bible literature during WWII
• Provided military personnel in the Persian Gulf with 300,000 compact Bibles with camouflage covers
• Distributed 500,000 pocket-sized military Bibles and developed 2 million Rapid Deployment Kits (RDK's) for troops in Iraq
• Distributed more than 1.6 million portions of the Bible directly to chaplains and military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003
• Produced 400,000 booklets called "God Understands" for U.S. Chaplains to use as a biblical counseling tool

About The American Bible Society:

The American Bible Society has worked with the U.S. military since 1817 to make the Bible available to service men and women in the U.S. and abroad.  Headquartered in New York City, the mission of the 193-year-old American Bible Society is to make the Bible available to every person in a language and format each can understand and afford, so that all people may experience its life-changing message.

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