WASHINGTON – Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony J. Principi today offered condolences to the family of Bob Hope on behalf of American veterans whose lives were brightened by the entertainer during field performances from World War II to the first Gulf War.
"Veterans everywhere hold a special place in their hearts for Bob Hope,'' Principi said. "For decades, he filled their cold and lonely watches with laughter and the warmth of memories from home."
Bob Hope set the standard within the entertainment industry for supporting U.S. troops in peacetime and sharing the hazards of wartime, Principi said.
"He was a link to family and friends, a cheerful reminder of a free society that can poke fun at itself while cherishing the values for which our troops sacrifice every day," Principi added.
When a congressional resolution bestowed upon him the title of "honorary veteran" in 1997, Hope said that he had been given many awards in his lifetime, but to be numbered among the men and women he admired the most was the greatest honor he had ever received.
Bob Hope died July 27 in Los Angeles at the age of 100.
