Hugh B. Brown’s Program for Latter-Day Saint Servicemen During WWII

Abstract: Prior to U.S. involvement in WWII, the First Presidency asked Hugh B. Brown to initiate a program that would reinforce the spiritual welfare of the Latter-day Saint men entering the military. Brown initially organized religious services at training camps along the West Coast. Following Pearl Harbor, he expanded the program to 65 training camps in many parts of the country. He also created USO-type facilities, distributed pocket-size scriptures, wrote faith-strengthening articles, and answered requests for spiritual support from Latter-day Saint servicemen. In 1943, Brown’s program added assistant coordinators. In 1944, Brown was recalled as the British Mission president and left 13 assistants to manage his program through the conclusion of the war. Interviews with veterans who experienced Brown’s program suggest that the pocket-size copies of the Book of Mormon carried everywhere, even in battle, may have been Brown’s most significant contribution to their war-time spiritual maintenance.