Along with his best friend Bing Crosby, Hope was offered a commission in the United States Navy as lieutenant commander during World War II, but FDR intervened, believing it would be better for troop morale if they kept doing what they were doing by playing for all branches of military service.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S. joined World War II, Hope tried to enlist in the military but was told he could do more good as an entertainer — joining with the USO in performing for troops at home and overseas. Hope agreed and started a partnership with the USO that would last more than half a century.
Entertainer Bob Hope performed his regular radio show in front of a military audience at the US Naval Training Facility in Oceanside, California on May 8, 1945. The next day he played a central role in the Victory broadcast on the Armed Forces Radio Service. These performances both took a more somber tone than usual.
The family emigrated to the United States aboard the SS Philadelphia, and passed inspection at Ellis Island on March 30, 1908. Hope became a U.S. citizen in 1920 at the age of seventeen. In a 1942 legal document, Hope's legal name is given as Lester Townes Hope.
He was the fifth of seven sons belonging to William Henry Hope and Avis Townes Hope. His English father supported the growing family as a stonemason while his Welsh mother aspired to be a concert singer. In 1907 the Hopes moved to Cleveland, Ohio seeking the opportunities America offered for their large family.
Sinatra traveled to Vietnam to perform for US troops in 1966 and 1967. Many soldiers adopted her song "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" as their anthem, as shown in Pierre Schoendoerffer's documentary The Anderson Platoon (1967) and reprised in a scene in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987).
During the Vietnam war era, Ann-Margret toured three times with the USO, twice traveling with the organization to Southeast Asia to perform for American service members. To this day, those who saw her performances in Vietnam tell her how much it meant to them when they were stationed an ocean away from home.
Hope's holiday specials, a tradition started in 1950 on NBC, also became part of his commitment to the USO. Between 1964 and 1972, Hope recorded 9 holiday shows in Vietnam. The 1970 show was one of American television's most-watched events of all time.
Bob Hope continued entertaining service members around the globe during World War II. In the spring of 1943, he traveled to Camp Polk, Louisiana, along with entertainers Frances Langford and Jerry Colonna, to perform for the troops.
He was praised for his comedic timing, specializing in one-liners and rapid-fire delivery of jokes that were often self-deprecating. Between 1941 and 1991, Hope made 57 tours for the United Service Organizations (USO), entertaining military personnel around the world.
American entertainer Bob Hope began his career as an immigrant who came to the United States with his family as a young boy. In the early 1920s, he worked as a newsboy, a butcher's assistant, a shoe salesman, and an amateur boxer to scrape by.
In 1964, Hope took the first of nine USO trips to Vietnam to record special holiday episodes of his show and he never went alone. In retrospect, it was these performances that endeared Hope into the hearts and minds of patriotic citizens for years to come.
When Hope died at the age of 100 in 2003, a space was designated for his final resting place on the grounds of the San Fernando Rey de España Mission in Mission Hills, Los Angeles. The San Fernando Mission, one of 21 Catholic Missions founded under Spanish control of what is now California, was founded in 1797.
Dale Adam Dye Jr. (born October 8, 1944) is an American actor, technical advisor, radio personality and writer. A decorated Marine veteran of the Vietnam War, Dye is the founder and head of Warriors, Inc., a technical advisory company specializing in portraying realistic military action in Hollywood films.
Then Hope, aided by Jerry Colonna, Jill St. John, Janis Paige, Anita Bryant, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Julia Bubbles, Miss World Ann Sidney, Peter Leeds and Les Brown and his band put on a two-hour show as fighter bombers and helicopters whizzed overhead. Hope quipped: "It's a thrill to be here in Sniper Valley.
Furey (born in Brooklyn, New York in 1946) is a United States Army nurse veteran. She began her military service in 1968 when she joined the Army Nurse Corps. Her patriotism influenced her volunteered deployment to Vietnam in 1969 where she served as a second lieutenant and eventually earned the Bronze Star.
Dennis Franz-Army-served 11 months with 82nd Airborne Division in Vietnam (Actor) R. Lee Ermey spent 11 years in the Marines-Vietnam in 1968 for 14 months-staff Sergeant and medically retired for injuries received. The first Marine to ever be promoted after retirement. He is an actor and advisor on many movies.
John Fogerty- Before his bandThe Golliwogs became Creedence Clearwater Revival, the singer was in the Army Reserve, serving at Fort Bragg, Fort Knox and Fort Lee during the Vietnam War.
He was buried in Plot B-8 with a bottle of Jack Daniels and a pack of Camel cigarettes tucked into his suit. His head stone reads: 'The Best is yet to come. ' The website has a downloadable map. The cemetery is also home to Sonny Bono, one half of Sonny and Cher and one-time mayor of Palm Springs.
On his left hand he is wearing a pinky ring, which he considered a symbol of success and was a staple among his fellow comic members of the Friar's Club.”
Dolores Hope spent most of her life giving to others: her husband, Bob , her children Linda, Tony, Kelly and Nora, her four grandchildren, and numerous charitable causes.
