Bob Hope and Christmas with the Troops

December 25, 2010 by DickH Posted in History 3 Comments

When I was growing up, one bright spot in the long, gloomy stretch of winter from Christmas to Opening Day was the Bob Hope Christmas Special. Hope began visiting American troops in war zones during World War Two, so in the 1960s and 1970s, he and his entourage ventured to Southeast Asia every December. Below is the entire 90-minute long 1967 Bob Hope Christmas Special. Whether you’re old enough to remember Bob Hope or so young that you’re asking “Bob Who?”, jump around inside the clip and catch some of his humor which is still amazing. And, just as Hope brought attention to those Americans in the armed services who were away from home during the holidays, remember our service members around the world today.

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3 Responses to Bob Hope and Christmas with the Troops

  1. Jack Mitchell says:

    USO shows are a lot of fun. Saw Chaka Kahn at Ft.Dix (1985), John Denver near the Korean DMZ (1989) & Jay Leno near King Fahd Airport, Saudi Arabia (1991).

    I felt connected to home, seeing stars that I’d never see at home. Kinda like the velvet rope treatment, but in dirty BDUs.

    PS. Bob never missed a chance to jab the peaceniks back in the States. Odd. For me, being post Vietnam, I felt my service was, in part, to defend the peaceniks’ right to protest the war I was fighting. I felt honored when they picketed. It meant, to me, that our system of Democracy was healthy and working properly.

  2. C R Krieger says:

    In 30 years, including 15 “overseas”, I never saw a Bob Hope show, although the one I would have liked to have seen was Ann Margaret, at Da Nang, in 1966.

    Regards  —  Cliff

  3. Dean says:

    I saw Bob Hope on December 26,1996, at An Khe, Viet nam(the Guinness Book of World Reccords wrote that An Khe was the biggest heliport in the world) I was with a group who’s fathers saw Bob Hope during WW II.