Martha Bolton - Dear Bob: Bob Hopes Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War II

Bob Hope, the legendary Hollywood entertainer began doing USO shows in 1941 and continued supporting and encouraging troops for the next fifty years. He became the figurehead of tribute from an entire grateful nation, setting the bar very high in his fifty years of entertaining and supporting our troops. The correspondence in Dear Bob... is further proof of his absolute and unwavering commitment to the American G.I.

GARY SINISE, actor, veterans advocate, and author of Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service

During World War II, Bob Hope saw firsthand the efforts of the American Red Cross to support military service members. He worked alongside us to build morale and raise the spirit of those who served, and he witnessed how we connected military members with their loved ones back home through emergency messages. He saw our Red Cross volunteers hand out comfort kits and care to the wounded in hospitals. It was through Bob Hopes compassion, commitment, and voice that the American Red Cross was able to make an even greater impact helping US service members during WWII.

GAIL J. McGOVERN, president and chief executive officer of the American Red Cross

Dear Bob gets you in your gut, your heart, your soul. Timing is everything, as Bob Hope would attest. Timely is this important, deeply moving publication. Martha and Linda hit it! This should be required reading in our schools. Its a labor of lovea treasured memorial to a true American and human being!

JUDITH B. FELDMAN, former personal assistant/secretary to Bob Hope

During World War II, Bob Hope dedicated himself to live performances that brought his show to troops in the field where he saw the power of comedy lift the human spirit even in the most desperate of times. Hopes unique and powerful connection with those serving our nation is beautifully illustrated in the words of those servicemen in letters to Hope. Likewise, his replies demonstrate the energy and care he gave to the US troops in World War II and the decades beyond.

STEPHEN WATSON, president and CEO, World War II Museum

For a half century, Bob Hope entertained our men and women serving in uniform across the globe, bringing laughter, joy, and a bit of home to those standing the watch and safeguarding our American ideals. The Coast Guard is forever grateful for his service.

ADMIRAL KARL SCHULTZ, 26th Commandant of the US Coast Guard

College history profs take noticeyou dont become the entertainer of the century without depth of character and love for others. Dear Bob... will prove that and make history live for your students. Dear Bob... will move you between laughter and tears as you read letters sent by service members Bob entertained over five decades. When they heard him, they knew they could connect with him personally. Dear Bob... opens a window into their lives, our quiet national heroes, as they open their hearts to the man who had proven he cared about them. This glimpse into an unheralded facet of Bob Hopes care for others completes the picture of an amazing man.

JAMES R. LYTLE, president, Clarks Summit University

Of the twenty-seven Bob Hope shows in which I participated, the most heartwarming and powerful ones were those spent entertaining the men and women of our armed forces. We traveled all over the globe, and Bob never stopped entertaining. We were his sidekicks, performing spontaneous skits and singing songs whenever and wherever we were greeted by a group of servicemen and women. We would deplane the C-130 Fat Albert or land atop an aircraft carrier and begin cracking our rehearsed jokes, customizing them to the current location. Bob even risked sneaking out to the front lines alone, via a SEAL boat at the crack of dawn to visit and share a laugh with those who missed our shows. The love and appreciation Bob expressed energized our entourage and filled us with a beautiful sense of purpose.

BROOKE SHIELDS

Martha Bolton and Linda Hope remind us why people across the globe loved Bob Hope. He loved freedom and the men and women in uniform who worked to preserve and expand it. What a delightful and uplifting read!

MARSHA BLACKBURN, US Senator

Bob Hope lit up the stage as our Oscars host nineteen times. He is the gold standard! We remember him not only as one of the worlds greatest entertainers, but also among the most giving in our industry.

DAWN HUDSON, CEO, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

It was said of Britains inspirational wartime prime minister, Winston Churchill, that he marshaled words and sent them into battle. Thanks to the painstaking research efforts of Bob Hope writer Martha Bolton, with assistance from his daughter and producer Linda Hope, we are now privy to the words of some who participated in battle. Bob Hope not only praised Americas military, he put his suitcase where his mouth was by traveling thousands of miles over the years to entertain troops in numerous theaters of war. We know about these classic and historic shows, but until this book we have not known, in their own words, about the bonds forged between this iconic entertainer and many of those who went in harms way in service to our country. How Hope not only eased their sacrifice with laughter but touched their hearts in enduring ways is beautifully presented in this treasure trove of history.

DOUG GAMBLE, member of the Bob Hope writing team from 198393 and writer of humor for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush

My dad, Jerry Colonna, was on a lot of these tours and was impressed with Bobs interest in the personal lives of the servicemen he spoke to. Jerry said that years later a guy in civvies might come up and introduce himself, and Bob would say something like, Okinawa! Hey, did that boy of yours make it into law school? One of a kind.

ROBERT COLONNA

This story is not just about Hope but about all those individuals and groups he sought out and who relied on him to visit them. It is this sense of reciprocity that makes Dear Bob a moving and essential volume.

CARL ROLLYSON, biographer

I was honored and privileged to have known Mr. Hope and worked with him on some of his television specials for our military. He was also a guest on my TV series, Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters. He was so kind, and because of his enormous talent the world loved him!

BARBARA MANDRELL

Martha Bolton and I have been good friends for about twenty years. I have read many of her books and from personal experience find her to be one of the greatest writers alive. I also must say as a comedy writer, she is the funniest lady on the planet!

DARRELL BLEDSOE, recording producer/music arranger/songwriter/author/publisher, former head of the Commercial Music Industry program, West Texas A & M University

As a child of the 1950s and 60s, I grew up being entertained by Bob Hope. I loved his TV specials and movies. I thought he was the funniest man alive. Hopes USO Christmas shows were especially enjoyable. I went on to spend over twenty-two years on active duty in the US Army as a paratrooper and Green Beret. My service included multiple overseas and combat tours. Unfortunately, I never saw Hope in person. However, I was able to watch films of his shows and knew several fellow soldiers whom Hope touched personally. Martha Boltons book is a long-overdue homage to the great service Hope provided to the troops. Even though this book concentrates on the G.I.s of WWII, it reflects the appreciation of the troops to whom he meant so much. Hope never forgot the G.I.s after WWII. He continued to visit troops in Korea and Vietnam, and during the Cold War and the First Gulf War. I heartily recommend this book. The letters truly reflect how multiple generations of G.I.s loved Bob Hope.