USO Issues Statement Regarding the Death of Bob Hope

United Service Organization (USO)
Monday, 28 July 2003

Edward A. Powell, President and CEO of the USO, has issued the following statement regarding the recent death of Bob Hope, the USO's tireless morale-booster for service men and women from World War II to the Gulf War:

The USO joins the world today in saying goodbye to a true American hero. For more than five decades, through four wars and years of peacekeeping missions, Bob Hope came to symbolize, for every man and woman in uniform, the idea that America cared for and supported its troops. Through biting cold and intense heat, war and peace, and in the most remote and lonely locations, Bob Hope's mission was to put a smile on the face of every soldier, sailor, marine, airman, and coast guardsman who saw him.

The "Spirit of Hope" will live on in the hearts of all of us who have had the experience of seeing him perform and in the scores of young entertainers who follow in his footsteps, donating their time and talents to the USO. We at the USO will carry on the mission that Bob Hope spearheaded in 1941, for as long as there are young men and women out there protecting America's freedom. The legacy of our "Ambassador of Good Will" will last for years to come.

I speak for all of us at the USO, as well as for every man and woman who has worn the uniform of America's armed forces, when I say that our thoughts and prayers are with the Hope family.

Thanks for the USO memories, Bob.

For more information, or to contact United Service Organization (USO), see their website at: www.uso.org