• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

V CORPS'S 1ST ARMORED DIVISION DEDICATES DINING FACILITY IN BAGHDAD TO LEGENDARY ENTERTAINER BOB HOPE

V Corps Release

Release Date: 8/27/2003

By Spc. Shauna McRoberts 1st Armored Division Public Affairs Office

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- V Corps's Task Force 1st Armored Division dedicated its dining facility to legendary entertainer Bob Hope in a ceremony August 24 at Baghdad International Airport.

"Today we honor one of our own, a truly great friend of America's soldiers -- Bob Hope," said Brig. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the division's commanding general.

Hope, one of Hollywood's most renowned comedians and actors, worked in vaudeville, radio, film, television, and most prominently as a United Services Organization entertainer, bringing laughs to troops the world over for five decades. Hope spent much of World War II traveling the world to entertain allied troops, a service he performed again with gusto during wars in Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East. His tours became one of his enduring signatures.

"For several generations of soldiers, Bob Hope brought us a piece of home, an infectious smile, great entertainment, and a brief break from the rigors of combat," said Dempsey. "Wherever there were U.S. soldiers in harm's way, Bob Hope was there with them. In the Pacific Islands, the hills of Korea, the jungles of Vietnam, and the sands of Desert Storm, Bob Hope was there."

Hope died in his Toluca Lake, Calif., home July 27, less than two months after his 100th birthday.

Staff Sgt. Robert S. Potter Jr., an imagery analyst with Headquarters and Headquarters Operations Company, 501st Military Intelligence Battalion, and Spc. Omid P. Zehtab, a tanker assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, the division's noncommissioned officer and soldier of the year, unveiled the sign and the plaque, officially dedicating the dining facility to Hope. The facility serves thousands of division soldiers each day, 24 hours a day.

"This will be a place for soldiers to relax, joke with friends, tell stories and watch a little football," said Dempsey. "It will host the USO shows that Bob made famous, and it will help keep those smiles on the faces of the next generation of American soldiers, doing their duty far from home."