Past VSPA Presidents

For 40 Years Bob Hope USO Shows Brightened the Holidays.

After the conclusion of World War II, Hope continued his film career and successfully made the transition to television. While famously he never won an Academy Award, he was awarded honorary Oscars multiple times. During the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and again when the Korean War began in 1950, Hope joined the USO to support the men and women of the US Armed Forces. He was also a frequent visitor to American forces stationed in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, regularly seen with his trademark golf club. Hope’s holiday specials, a tradition started in 1950 on NBC, also became part of his commitment to the USO. Between 1964 and 1972, Hope recorded 9 holiday shows in Vietnam. The 1970 show was one of American television’s most-watched events of all time.