T-AKR 300 USNS Bob Hope

T-AKR 300, the lead ship in a new class of Strategic Sealift ships being built for the U.S. Navy is named in honor of the legendary entertainer Bob Hope. With the USNS BOB HOPE coming into service, the spirit of this renowned entertainer and patriotic American will continue to support the armed forces for many years to come.

When Secretary of the Navy John Dalton made the announcement that the new class of ships would be named for Bob Hope, he called Mr. Hope a "Military Hero" and said, "We can never repay him for his contributions to the men and women in uniform, but we can show our appreciation with a class of ships named in his honor. This is our way of saying, Thanks for the Memories"

For nearly six decades, during war or at peace, Bob, with a band of super-stars, has traveled the globe to entertain our service men and women. The media dubbed him "America's No. 1 Soldier in Greasepaint." To the G.I.s, he was "G.I. Bob" and their clown hero.

His unwavering commitment to American servicemen and women began in May, 1941 when Bob Hope with a group of Hollywood performers, went to March Field, California, to do a radio show for airmen stationed there. Bob's first trip into a combat area was during World War II in 1943, when he and his small USO troupe -- Frances Langford, Tony Romano and Jack Pepper -- visited U.S. military facilities in England, Africa, Sicily, and Iceland. With the world at peace, following World War II, Bob did not forget G.I. audiences. He continued to make frequent visits to military bases and hospitals. Bob began what was to become a Christmas custom in 1948. He went to Germany at the request of then Secretary of the Air Force, Stuart Symington, to entertain the troops involved in the Berlin Airlift. With the end of the Vietnam conflict in sight, Hope hailed his 1972 trip as his "last Christmas show." But each Christmas that followed, he was somewhere in the country doing a show at a military base or veterans hospital. In 1983 the call came from Beirut and Hope was "on the road again."

In 1987, Hope flew around the world to entertain servicemen and women in the Pacific. Atlantic and Indian Oceans and in the Persian Gulf. He embarked on a goodwill tour in May, 1990, to entertain military personnel stationed in England, Russia, and Germany. At Christmas that year, he was in Saudi Arabia entertaining the men and women of "Operation Desert Storm."

Bob has been honored and befriended by Presidents of the United States since Roosevelt. Hope's golfing buddies have been Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Bill Clinton. He has been hailed as "America's most prized ambassador of goodwill throughout the world."

His distinguished honors include:

* Congressional Gold Medal from President Kennedy

* President Johnson honored Bob with the Medal of Freedom

* President and Mrs. Carter hosted a White House reception in celebration of his 75th birthday.

* Harry Truman played the piano for him

* President Bill Clinton bestowed on him a Medal of the Arts.

* In July 1976, by order of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Bob was made an Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to British troops around the world during World War II.

* Cited by the Guinness Book of Records as most honored entertainer in the world, Hope has more than two thousand awards and citations for humanitarian and professional efforts, including 54 honorary doctorates.

Bob Hope and his wife Dolores have four children: Linda, Anthony, Nora, and Kelly; and four grandchildren.

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