WEBVTT 00:00:04.809 --> 00:00:08.630 All across America and around the world, this 00:00:08.630 --> 00:00:15.689 is Veterans Radio. This is Veterans Radio. And 00:00:15.689 --> 00:00:19.710 now, your host for today's program, Dale Throneberry. 00:00:21.929 --> 00:00:24.489 And welcome to Veterans Radio. It is our Christmas 00:00:24.489 --> 00:00:28.199 program. Welcome. Today's program we've got lined 00:00:28.199 --> 00:00:30.339 up for you actually is a replay of a program 00:00:30.339 --> 00:00:34.140 that we did back in 2012. So you don't think 00:00:34.140 --> 00:00:36.280 that Veterans Radio has been on that long, do 00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:39.000 you, right? Well, you know, we are in our 20th 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:41.780 year. Anyway, to get back to this. So back in 00:00:41.780 --> 00:00:46.939 December of 2012, we had Senior Vice President 00:00:46.939 --> 00:00:49.539 of the USO and Air Force veteran John Hanson 00:00:49.539 --> 00:00:52.570 on our program. And we talk about you know, the 00:00:52.570 --> 00:00:55.109 USO, its history, you know, what it's been doing 00:00:55.109 --> 00:00:57.409 in the past and where it's going in the future. 00:00:57.750 --> 00:01:00.429 And we also interspersed a number of different 00:01:00.429 --> 00:01:02.570 segments, I guess you could say of Bob Hope, 00:01:02.689 --> 00:01:05.769 because how can you do the USO without talking 00:01:05.769 --> 00:01:08.670 about Bob Hope? Depending on your generation, 00:01:08.769 --> 00:01:11.829 of course, ours, you know, in the Vietnam generation, 00:01:12.069 --> 00:01:15.390 we got to see him. Of course, what he did in 00:01:15.390 --> 00:01:19.290 World War Two is just, you know. Yeoman's duty 00:01:19.290 --> 00:01:21.609 of I mean can't think of how many years he's 00:01:21.609 --> 00:01:23.930 missed Christmas with his family But anyway, 00:01:24.129 --> 00:01:26.370 so that's what we're going to be be highlighting 00:01:26.370 --> 00:01:30.450 today on our program We're also going to be at 00:01:30.450 --> 00:01:32.290 the end of the program. We're going to be playing 00:01:32.290 --> 00:01:35.969 a little medley by the US Army band a series 00:01:35.969 --> 00:01:38.870 of Christmas songs and I just think that you're 00:01:38.870 --> 00:01:41.329 going to really enjoy listening to this program 00:01:41.329 --> 00:01:44.189 and So I want you to make sure that you stay 00:01:44.189 --> 00:01:46.739 tuned You know, we can't do this program without 00:01:46.739 --> 00:01:49.299 your support and without the support of our sponsors. 00:01:49.359 --> 00:01:51.780 So I want to make sure that I do thank them, 00:01:51.780 --> 00:01:54.459 especially at this time of year. So first of 00:01:54.459 --> 00:01:56.579 all, I want to thank Legal Help for Veterans, 00:01:56.719 --> 00:01:59.099 Legal Help for Veterans Specializes in Veterans 00:01:59.099 --> 00:02:01.780 Disability Claims. Call Legal Help for Veterans 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:06.959 at 800 -693 -4800 or you can go to their website 00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:09.889 Legal Help for Veterans. The National Veterans 00:02:09.889 --> 00:02:12.090 Business Development Council, better known as 00:02:12.090 --> 00:02:15.789 NVBDC, the nation's leading third party authority 00:02:15.789 --> 00:02:18.009 for certification of veteran -owned businesses. 00:02:18.569 --> 00:02:20.770 For more information, go to their website. That's 00:02:20.770 --> 00:02:27.250 nvbdc .org. Or give them a call at 888 -237 -8433. 00:02:27.800 --> 00:02:30.699 The Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center in Ann 00:02:30.699 --> 00:02:32.800 Arbor, Michigan. For more information, you can 00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:37.020 go to va .gov slash Ann Arbor Health Care. I 00:02:37.020 --> 00:02:38.699 also want to make sure that we don't forget our 00:02:38.699 --> 00:02:41.379 local organizations for their long, long time 00:02:41.379 --> 00:02:44.520 support. We've got the Erwin Prescor in America 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:47.860 Legion Post 46 and the Charles S. Kettles Vietnam 00:02:47.860 --> 00:02:51.340 Veterans of America Chapter 310, both of Ann 00:02:51.340 --> 00:02:55.000 Arbor, Michigan. So as I mentioned, we're going 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:58.430 to be Replaying our program from December of 00:02:58.430 --> 00:03:02.789 2012 where we're talking with John Hanson from 00:03:02.789 --> 00:03:05.909 the USO and we're gonna be playing a number of 00:03:05.909 --> 00:03:11.050 segments from some Bob Hope shows that were Actually, 00:03:11.069 --> 00:03:14.030 I think someone go back to World War two so it 00:03:14.030 --> 00:03:17.469 you know Sit back pour yourself a cup of coffee 00:03:17.469 --> 00:03:20.270 and I think you'll enjoy this We hope you'll 00:03:20.270 --> 00:03:23.270 enjoy this from all of us here at veterans radio 00:03:23.680 --> 00:03:26.659 We wish you a very, very happy holiday season, 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:29.780 very Merry Christmas, and we'll see you next 00:03:29.780 --> 00:03:32.719 year. So here we go, Bob Hope. What better topic 00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:35.400 to talk about than the USO? For all of you who 00:03:35.400 --> 00:03:37.080 have been in the service, we all are familiar 00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:40.860 with the USO and their programs that they put 00:03:40.860 --> 00:03:43.560 on around on bases around the world or some of 00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:46.379 their USO clubs in various airports where we 00:03:46.379 --> 00:03:50.460 could stop and stay and and have a relaxing time 00:03:50.460 --> 00:03:52.780 and get out of the hubbub of a regular old airport. 00:03:53.379 --> 00:03:55.020 So coming up in just a little bit we're going 00:03:55.020 --> 00:03:59.759 to have John Hanson who is a senior vice president 00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:02.379 and Air Force veteran and he will be on talking 00:04:02.379 --> 00:04:06.169 about the history of the USO and what it means 00:04:06.169 --> 00:04:08.449 to us and what it means to the country. And I 00:04:08.449 --> 00:04:11.310 think it's very important that everybody out 00:04:11.310 --> 00:04:13.310 there, I know you're always looking for organizations 00:04:13.310 --> 00:04:15.469 to support and the USO is a great one and has 00:04:15.469 --> 00:04:17.629 been around for 70 years. And we're going to 00:04:17.629 --> 00:04:21.149 take a look at the history of the USO. And I 00:04:21.149 --> 00:04:23.069 encourage you, if you've had the opportunity 00:04:23.069 --> 00:04:26.750 to see a USO show or stop at one of their... 00:04:27.050 --> 00:04:29.370 centers at the airport. I'm going to play a clip 00:04:29.370 --> 00:04:31.949 that I found on YouTube yesterday. Unfortunately 00:04:31.949 --> 00:04:33.949 you can't see the photographs that go along with 00:04:33.949 --> 00:04:35.430 it but you'll be able to find it if you want 00:04:35.430 --> 00:04:39.110 to at some point. And it was put up there by 00:04:39.110 --> 00:04:41.250 an organization or a gentleman called Answer 00:04:41.250 --> 00:04:43.670 So Lucky and it runs about eight minutes but 00:04:43.670 --> 00:04:46.529 it talks a little bit about the USO and of course 00:04:46.529 --> 00:04:51.910 the iconic Bob Hope. So Nina let's hear this 00:04:51.910 --> 00:04:55.790 right now. Bob Hope was not only a great comedian 00:04:56.120 --> 00:05:00.300 He also was a great hero. What he did for this 00:05:00.300 --> 00:05:05.139 country in times of crisis will always be remembered. 00:05:07.379 --> 00:05:09.160 I just want you boys to see what you're fighting 00:05:09.160 --> 00:05:14.699 for, that's all. I was on radio at NBC and the 00:05:14.699 --> 00:05:16.600 producer said they want you at March Field next 00:05:16.600 --> 00:05:18.980 year. I said, what's March Field? He said, that's 00:05:18.980 --> 00:05:21.500 an Air Force base in Riverside. I said, well, 00:05:21.560 --> 00:05:23.600 what do we do there? You know, there's no war 00:05:23.600 --> 00:05:26.170 or anything. He said, well, they want you down 00:05:26.170 --> 00:05:28.009 there. It's a great audience. There you are, 00:05:28.050 --> 00:05:29.769 Kona. You're down on your knees with 12 suitcases 00:05:29.769 --> 00:05:31.470 on your back. What are you going to do now? I 00:05:31.470 --> 00:05:33.389 have no sense wasting a position like this. Get 00:05:33.389 --> 00:05:37.850 out the dice. The audience was so great. I said, 00:05:38.050 --> 00:05:39.889 wait a minute. How long has this been going on? 00:05:40.949 --> 00:05:42.750 At Christmas time, war started. Then it became 00:05:42.750 --> 00:05:47.290 dramatic. We went five straight years all around 00:05:47.290 --> 00:05:50.350 the world. Just doin' troops. Doin' troop troops. 00:05:50.889 --> 00:05:52.110 One of the greatest things that ever happened 00:05:52.110 --> 00:05:54.329 to me. Well, here I am in London. But here we 00:05:54.329 --> 00:05:57.170 are on the USS Foxes. Here I am in Alaska. In 00:05:57.170 --> 00:06:00.089 Colorado Springs. Guam. Tokyo. Here we are in 00:06:00.089 --> 00:06:02.709 Incirlik, Turkey. Incirlik, that's a Turkish 00:06:02.709 --> 00:06:04.670 word meaning don't knock it, at least Vietnam. 00:06:05.029 --> 00:06:09.470 Ubon. Cakli. Karat. Atchoukouchi. Utapod. Van 00:06:09.470 --> 00:06:12.870 Rang Dang Dang. Chung Ching Chung Kang Air Base. 00:06:13.069 --> 00:06:15.569 Now, very thrilled to be here on Where Are We? 00:06:16.600 --> 00:06:19.779 I was a little kid during the Second World War 00:06:19.779 --> 00:06:25.240 and had these really vivid memories of sitting 00:06:25.240 --> 00:06:28.060 by the radio and listening to Hope. Some night. 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:30.899 Some night. Some park. Some park. Some moon. 00:06:31.139 --> 00:06:33.560 Some moon. Some bench. Some bench. Some grass. 00:06:52.649 --> 00:06:55.550 that he was entertaining were a real part of 00:06:55.550 --> 00:06:58.449 the show. You heard these people who were starved 00:06:58.449 --> 00:07:02.089 for entertainment, starved for some feeling of 00:07:02.089 --> 00:07:05.189 normal life again, and you heard this tremendous 00:07:05.189 --> 00:07:08.829 outpouring of energy from them. Bob Hope, when 00:07:08.829 --> 00:07:12.629 he came to entertain the troops, it made us and 00:07:12.629 --> 00:07:14.790 it probably made other troops feel the same way, 00:07:14.949 --> 00:07:19.029 made them forget for a little bit the killing 00:07:19.029 --> 00:07:21.639 and the dying that was taking place. even though 00:07:21.639 --> 00:07:24.199 it was for just a short time. What's the difference 00:07:24.199 --> 00:07:27.100 between you and an idiot? Well, for one thing, 00:07:27.100 --> 00:07:33.160 you don't have a mustache. Such a thrill for 00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:36.180 me, all these men whistling and screaming. Yeah, 00:07:36.519 --> 00:07:49.560 they've been in the jungle too long. He was not 00:07:49.560 --> 00:07:53.100 interested in in anything but pleasing those 00:07:53.100 --> 00:07:57.899 people. When you went out on the stage, the acceptance 00:07:57.899 --> 00:08:01.240 was beyond a great audience, you know, that was 00:08:01.240 --> 00:08:03.259 going to give you a standing ovation before you 00:08:03.259 --> 00:08:05.560 even opened your mouth. Hey, Bob, am I standing 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:11.680 in the right place? Don't worry, honey. If you're 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:14.259 not, they'll move the bass. I don't know what 00:08:14.259 --> 00:08:16.720 I'm doing here, Bob. I can't sing and I can't 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:18.519 dance. Just stand there. They'll do the singing 00:08:18.519 --> 00:08:22.740 and dancing. He kept the morale up. That was 00:08:22.740 --> 00:08:24.779 what his job was, to keep that morale up for 00:08:24.779 --> 00:08:26.500 everybody. I'll give you eight bars to make your 00:08:26.500 --> 00:08:28.259 payment fortunate. Otherwise, it's back to the 00:08:28.259 --> 00:08:32.940 swamp. Go! I met Mr. Holston. He wanted me to 00:08:32.940 --> 00:08:39.799 drive a few bars and abort Christmas. He kind 00:08:39.799 --> 00:08:47.320 of stunned me with his reaction because he said... 00:08:47.320 --> 00:09:01.279 You know, Crosby's got kids everywhere. 10 ,000 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:05.100 miles away, and especially at Christmas time. 00:09:05.419 --> 00:09:09.940 His specialist fourth, Brian H. O 'Connell, here. 00:09:10.740 --> 00:09:13.519 Where is he? Would you come up, please? I went 00:09:13.519 --> 00:09:18.000 over to Vietnam. Marks me in June or July of 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:21.279 65. My wife was about six months pregnant. Just 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:24.019 before we got on the plane, his wife brought 00:09:24.019 --> 00:09:27.820 this over to us. And here's a picture of twins, 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:30.960 his twins that he's never seen. I had no idea 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:33.580 what they looked like, I just knew that they 00:09:33.580 --> 00:09:36.980 were twin boys. I just want you to take a peek 00:09:36.980 --> 00:09:38.860 at these little kids, at the first time he's 00:09:38.860 --> 00:09:44.700 ever seen them. My dad didn't like to talk about 00:09:44.700 --> 00:09:47.860 Vietnam much from his personal experiences, but 00:09:47.860 --> 00:09:53.120 one thing dad did talk about from the war was 00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:56.399 the receiving the pitcher on stage with Bob Holt. 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:02.279 When Bob gave me the bread book, I was proud, 00:10:02.620 --> 00:10:05.480 really proud of him, you know, and I thought 00:10:05.480 --> 00:10:08.279 it was great. I appreciated it very much. You 00:10:08.279 --> 00:10:14.179 know, it was a great feeling. The whole front 00:10:14.179 --> 00:10:16.799 row, I mean the whole front section was always 00:10:16.799 --> 00:10:20.720 the guys that had like a plasma drip going in. 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:24.299 And they would be in beds. You knew that this 00:10:24.299 --> 00:10:27.100 was serious business. and to hear them laugh. 00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:31.720 You remember me, Rosemary's baby? Oh, my faithful 00:10:31.720 --> 00:10:38.460 old nurse. Yeah. You know, this isn't such a 00:10:38.460 --> 00:10:41.700 bad part. What the hell is all that firing over 00:10:41.700 --> 00:10:44.620 there? General, will you call off this stuff, 00:10:44.919 --> 00:10:48.620 this war, while we're on, please? He would walk 00:10:48.620 --> 00:10:50.620 into a hospital. And only he could do this. I 00:10:50.620 --> 00:10:52.720 mean, he would lead the gang. There was five 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:55.379 women and myself and Peter Leeds and Les Brown 00:10:55.379 --> 00:10:58.019 and a big troupe. And he'd walk in there. His 00:10:58.019 --> 00:11:02.279 opening remark was, don't get up to us. You were 00:11:02.279 --> 00:11:05.519 seeing kids that had their arms and legs removed. 00:11:05.980 --> 00:11:08.200 You were seeing guys that had the whole front 00:11:08.200 --> 00:11:11.220 of their bodies sewn up with great big staples, 00:11:11.379 --> 00:11:15.679 this thick. I broke down and cried. And he took 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:18.519 me aside and gave me an lecture. This is why 00:11:18.519 --> 00:11:21.340 we're here. They want lightness. They want a 00:11:21.340 --> 00:11:24.259 joke. They want you to pretend that nothing is 00:11:24.259 --> 00:11:27.059 wrong. Many skirts are bigger than ever. Even 00:11:27.059 --> 00:11:30.200 some of the fellas are wearing them. Don't laugh. 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:31.620 If you'd have thought of it, you wouldn't be 00:11:31.620 --> 00:11:45.409 here. I think one of the most emotional shows 00:11:45.409 --> 00:11:47.470 I ever played was when I played for the 1st Marine 00:11:47.470 --> 00:11:50.429 Division at Pavuvu down in the South Pacific 00:11:50.429 --> 00:11:54.230 because we were playing on an island called Benica 00:11:54.230 --> 00:11:57.289 and this fella flew over and said, could you 00:11:57.289 --> 00:11:59.710 possibly do an extra show for the 1st Marine 00:11:59.710 --> 00:12:02.269 Division? They've never had a show and they would 00:12:02.269 --> 00:12:04.590 really love to see and they're going to invade 00:12:04.590 --> 00:12:10.250 Palau. And so we flew over the next morning and 00:12:10.250 --> 00:12:12.789 you knew when you walked out there. that you're 00:12:12.789 --> 00:12:16.529 playing for 15 ,000 kids that a lot of those 00:12:16.529 --> 00:12:19.429 guys you never see again. And as it worked out, 00:12:19.610 --> 00:12:22.470 60 % of those kids were knocked off in this invasion 00:12:22.470 --> 00:12:27.330 of Palo Alto. And we're back. And that was a 00:12:27.330 --> 00:12:29.990 segment about Bob Hope and the USO shows. Actually, 00:12:30.009 --> 00:12:31.850 we've got a call on the line. I've got Rob Winter 00:12:31.850 --> 00:12:35.570 calling from Saline, Michigan. And Rob, you were 00:12:35.570 --> 00:12:38.330 called in because you went to a USO show. Yeah. 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:43.879 I was in Vietnam in 70 and 71. I was in the Army, 00:12:44.120 --> 00:12:48.759 and I got the luck of the draw. We had in our 00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:51.340 company, I don't remember what the allocation, 00:12:51.500 --> 00:12:54.159 but it was probably only three or four people, 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:58.059 but we put our names and names in the hat, and 00:12:58.059 --> 00:13:01.120 my name came up, and so I was lucky enough to 00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:05.240 get to go to one of the famous Bob Hope Christmas 00:13:05.240 --> 00:13:11.240 shows. Of course, this happened in December of 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:19.539 1970. And I was in the Marical Division, so I 00:13:19.539 --> 00:13:24.899 was in the 3rd Battalion, 1st Infantry. And what 00:13:24.899 --> 00:13:28.659 started out, we got, you know, the chopper took 00:13:28.659 --> 00:13:31.820 us back to our fire base, which was Fire Support 00:13:31.820 --> 00:13:37.139 Base 411 or 411. And from there, then they flew 00:13:37.139 --> 00:13:40.740 us back to Chu Lai, which was the Marical headquarters. 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:46.039 Well, I think that was the point. What started 00:13:46.039 --> 00:13:49.240 there on the way to Da Nang where the US social 00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:52.299 was being held, which was about a three hour 00:13:52.299 --> 00:13:57.919 ride, about 90 miles up Highway 1, we had all 00:13:57.919 --> 00:14:00.440 been stripped of our weapons. And this was probably 00:14:00.440 --> 00:14:03.950 the first time for All the guys in this this 00:14:03.950 --> 00:14:06.330 huge convoy that we were without weapons and 00:14:06.330 --> 00:14:09.009 it was kind of we all kind of felt naked I'm 00:14:09.009 --> 00:14:13.690 sure and so But anyhow, we got trucked up. I 00:14:13.690 --> 00:14:16.070 guess one of the interesting things too along 00:14:16.070 --> 00:14:20.110 the way, you know in Vietnam there were no What 00:14:20.110 --> 00:14:22.950 do you want to call? You know highway rest stops. 00:14:23.190 --> 00:14:26.009 So what would happen? What would happen they 00:14:26.009 --> 00:14:28.649 would stop the the whole convoy and everyone 00:14:28.649 --> 00:14:30.830 would get out and literally go to the side of 00:14:30.830 --> 00:14:33.389 the road and there was As far as you can see, 00:14:33.629 --> 00:14:39.850 both directions were GIs doing their thing. You 00:14:39.850 --> 00:14:45.870 can't forget that picture. I don't know. Anyhow, 00:14:46.049 --> 00:14:50.129 we got up there. I remember a couple things. 00:14:50.610 --> 00:14:53.610 Of course, the show had Bob Hope, just like you 00:14:53.610 --> 00:14:56.070 were playing in the clip, some of his jokes. 00:14:57.169 --> 00:14:59.470 But he had Ursula Andress, who, of course, had 00:14:59.470 --> 00:15:03.139 been... very famous for the Bond movie, the Dr. 00:15:03.220 --> 00:15:08.519 No Bond movie. Lola Filana, who was a dancer. 00:15:09.419 --> 00:15:12.580 Gloria Loring, who was a good singer at the time. 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:17.720 I think it was Jennifer Hostin, who was Miss 00:15:17.720 --> 00:15:22.299 World anyhow, 1970. Johnny Bench was also there, 00:15:22.360 --> 00:15:26.259 baseball player. And of course, Les Brown and 00:15:26.259 --> 00:15:31.080 his band of renown. Myself, what I think most 00:15:31.080 --> 00:15:33.600 of the guys truly liked the best was the Gold 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:37.639 Diggers group that he brought along. If people 00:15:37.639 --> 00:15:41.720 don't know, of course, this was right at the 00:15:41.720 --> 00:15:44.860 end of the 60s, 70s, and they were all in their 00:15:44.860 --> 00:15:49.480 hip huggers, go -go boots, very tight, showing 00:15:49.480 --> 00:15:52.779 a lot of leg. I think everybody thought, you 00:15:52.779 --> 00:15:55.740 know, because they were, for a lot of the guys, 00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:58.179 it's the first time they'd truly seen an American 00:15:58.179 --> 00:16:02.659 girl for, you know, for a long time. And I think 00:16:02.659 --> 00:16:04.399 they were the hit of the show, if you want to 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:06.379 know the truth. At least that was my perspective, 00:16:06.720 --> 00:16:09.960 so. Well, Rob, what did the Bob Hope Show mean 00:16:09.960 --> 00:16:13.820 to you in looking back at it? Well, of course, 00:16:13.820 --> 00:16:15.940 of course, for me, it was, you know, a great 00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:19.220 great break, you know, a couple days. Like I 00:16:19.220 --> 00:16:21.919 said, it was scary both going and coming because 00:16:21.919 --> 00:16:24.740 we were vulnerable, but luckily we weren't attacked. 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:26.799 They did have a lot of, they had some helicopter 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:30.460 cover on the convoy, but the show itself was, 00:16:30.460 --> 00:16:32.960 was morale. I mean, it was, I mean, all the guys 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:36.820 there was, you know, just terrific to see, see 00:16:36.820 --> 00:16:41.419 those people coming out to, you know, support 00:16:41.419 --> 00:16:43.759 the troops and, you know, giving of their time. 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:46.860 So. you know, meant a lot, so. Well Rob, I want 00:16:46.860 --> 00:16:49.779 to thank you very much for calling in and have 00:16:49.779 --> 00:16:53.559 a very Merry Christmas this year too. Okay, same 00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:56.500 to you and everyone at Veterans Radio. Thank 00:16:56.500 --> 00:16:59.620 you, thank you very much. We're going to take 00:16:59.620 --> 00:17:01.580 a break and when we get back we're going to have 00:17:01.580 --> 00:17:04.240 John Hanson from the USO on to talk about the 00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:06.680 history of the USO and what they did in the past 00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:08.960 and what they're doing today. You're listening 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:28.390 to Veterans Radio. He was the famous trumpet 00:17:28.390 --> 00:17:31.549 man from all Chicago way. He had a boogie style 00:17:31.549 --> 00:17:34.269 that no one else could play. He was the top man 00:17:34.269 --> 00:17:37.490 at his craft. But then his number came up and 00:17:37.490 --> 00:17:40.170 he was gone with the trap. He's in the army now, 00:17:40.230 --> 00:17:43.210 a blowing revelry. He's the boogie -woogie bugle 00:17:43.210 --> 00:17:46.049 for a company bean. They made him blow a bugle 00:17:46.049 --> 00:17:48.430 for his uncle Sam. And that, of course, was the 00:17:48.430 --> 00:17:50.309 Andrew Sisters for those of us that are old enough 00:17:50.309 --> 00:17:53.910 to remember. And I was trying to come up with 00:17:53.910 --> 00:17:58.190 some tunes. for the current USO tours and unfortunately 00:17:58.190 --> 00:18:00.849 I got sidetracked as I normally do when I'm trying 00:18:00.849 --> 00:18:03.670 to pick music of songs that I heard when I was 00:18:03.670 --> 00:18:05.930 in the service or when I was growing up and my 00:18:05.930 --> 00:18:09.170 dad would talk about the USO shows and unfortunately 00:18:09.170 --> 00:18:10.950 I didn't get to go to the US show that was in 00:18:10.950 --> 00:18:14.029 Longbin in 1969. I was working that day and we 00:18:14.029 --> 00:18:17.049 were flying, actually we flew over or near until 00:18:17.049 --> 00:18:20.250 we were told by air traffic control to get out 00:18:20.250 --> 00:18:24.519 of the area. It was an amazing sight with probably 00:18:24.519 --> 00:18:29.400 20 ,000 GIs down in this bowl. Down in the middle 00:18:29.400 --> 00:18:31.160 of it was this little tiny stage and you could 00:18:31.160 --> 00:18:32.880 see just these little people running around. 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:35.960 I was able to find some of that on YouTube. For 00:18:35.960 --> 00:18:37.960 those of you that are really interested in looking 00:18:37.960 --> 00:18:40.960 at some of these older programs, YouTube is a 00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:43.680 great source for the information. They got a 00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:45.319 lot of clips of Bob Hope. They have a lot of 00:18:45.319 --> 00:18:48.880 clips of today's USO shows. I would encourage 00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:51.730 you to do that, but not. yet and right now coming 00:18:51.730 --> 00:18:56.210 on to the Veterans Radio program is John Hanson 00:18:56.210 --> 00:19:01.589 and John is a senior executive with the USO organization 00:19:01.589 --> 00:19:04.109 and John welcome to Veterans Radio. Thank you 00:19:04.109 --> 00:19:06.170 Dale, Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas to you 00:19:06.170 --> 00:19:08.309 and thank you so much for your organization and 00:19:08.309 --> 00:19:11.950 what they do for the troops that are active duty 00:19:11.950 --> 00:19:15.299 and of course what they do for us. that look 00:19:15.299 --> 00:19:17.859 back at this and just can't thank you, the USO, 00:19:18.200 --> 00:19:20.839 enough for what you did over in Vietnam, in my 00:19:20.839 --> 00:19:24.460 case, all over the world. So tell me a little 00:19:24.460 --> 00:19:28.599 bit about how the USO came about. The USO was 00:19:28.599 --> 00:19:33.460 created in early 1941. In February 1941, President 00:19:33.460 --> 00:19:38.960 Roosevelt combined the operations of six non 00:19:38.960 --> 00:19:41.420 -profit organizations that had been, that health 00:19:41.420 --> 00:19:47.250 troops did morale work in World War I. His thought 00:19:47.250 --> 00:19:49.349 was it would be better if they coordinated their 00:19:49.349 --> 00:19:52.890 activities. If you look at the USO logo, you'll 00:19:52.890 --> 00:19:56.970 see six stars, and that is sort of our salute 00:19:56.970 --> 00:20:00.230 to those six founding organizations that were 00:20:00.230 --> 00:20:03.230 pulled together. And the whole idea was that 00:20:03.230 --> 00:20:06.089 the military was expanding, bases were opening 00:20:06.089 --> 00:20:10.190 all over the country, and there needed to be 00:20:10.190 --> 00:20:13.720 a coordinated effort. to provide morale services 00:20:13.720 --> 00:20:16.660 and recreational activities for troops at these 00:20:16.660 --> 00:20:18.500 bases to keep them occupied when they weren't 00:20:18.500 --> 00:20:24.259 in training. I'm stuttering here because I'm 00:20:24.259 --> 00:20:26.319 just fascinated about the whole USO thing and 00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:28.420 how they got started. We heard in the clip that 00:20:28.420 --> 00:20:31.259 I played that Bob Hope got started actually before 00:20:31.259 --> 00:20:34.880 World War II began when he was asked to go to 00:20:34.880 --> 00:20:39.420 camp in California. He went to what is now March 00:20:39.420 --> 00:20:44.079 Air Force Base, March Field. And the story was 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:45.579 he really sort of fought it. He said, why can't 00:20:45.579 --> 00:20:48.420 we just bring some troops to the studio? And 00:20:48.420 --> 00:20:50.240 his producer said, no, you really need to go 00:20:50.240 --> 00:20:54.619 out there. And he discovered that there was a 00:20:54.619 --> 00:20:56.920 great audience that he hadn't even anticipated. 00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:01.140 And it started his activities. He was on the 00:21:01.140 --> 00:21:05.000 road nonstop during the war. As we all know, 00:21:05.319 --> 00:21:09.740 even afterwards, he did USO tours up through 00:21:09.740 --> 00:21:13.099 the first Gulf War. Bob Hope, of course, wasn't 00:21:13.099 --> 00:21:15.380 the only one that was going around the world 00:21:15.380 --> 00:21:17.920 putting on these programs. You also had programs 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:20.140 going on in the States with some of these things 00:21:20.140 --> 00:21:22.660 called the Stage Door Canteens. Can you tell 00:21:22.660 --> 00:21:25.400 me a little bit about those? The Stage Door Canteens 00:21:25.400 --> 00:21:28.539 were actually started, I think, by John Garfield 00:21:28.539 --> 00:21:32.690 and Bette Davis as an effort for Hollywood. to 00:21:32.690 --> 00:21:37.529 get involved in the war effort, and troops stationed 00:21:37.529 --> 00:21:42.750 around the country would go to these, before 00:21:42.750 --> 00:21:44.730 USO clubs were at these locations, they would 00:21:44.730 --> 00:21:48.289 go to these locations and be served a meal, there'd 00:21:48.289 --> 00:21:50.349 be some dancing, some entertainment, and they'd 00:21:50.349 --> 00:21:53.470 be, happen to be, just as likely be weighted 00:21:53.470 --> 00:21:57.009 on by a celebrity. My father is a World War II 00:21:57.009 --> 00:22:00.950 veteran who was in San Francisco, and it's interesting, 00:22:01.049 --> 00:22:03.750 the one memory. that stood out for him during 00:22:03.750 --> 00:22:06.410 the war was being served a sandwich by Sophie 00:22:06.410 --> 00:22:11.069 Tucker at the USO in San Francisco. It means 00:22:11.069 --> 00:22:14.289 a lot for troops still, for celebrities, somebody, 00:22:14.329 --> 00:22:16.970 as they say, who doesn't have to be here to show 00:22:16.970 --> 00:22:18.630 up and do something on their own, do something 00:22:18.630 --> 00:22:22.109 nice. I don't think that many people are really 00:22:22.109 --> 00:22:24.670 aware of how many entertainers have been going 00:22:25.619 --> 00:22:28.960 on USO tours over the last 70 years, but even 00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:31.759 up till today. Can you think of some of the entertainers 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:35.140 that have been in Afghanistan and Iraq? Well, 00:22:35.880 --> 00:22:38.440 Robin Williams and Lewis Black, Kid Rock is probably 00:22:38.440 --> 00:22:40.220 one reason you didn't want to pick any music. 00:22:42.460 --> 00:22:44.980 Kelly Pickler, the country singer, just finished 00:22:44.980 --> 00:22:48.160 her sixth USO tour this week. She got back on 00:22:48.160 --> 00:22:53.470 Tuesday from Afghanistan. Trace Atkins has gone 00:22:53.470 --> 00:22:57.170 for us a number of times. Toby Keith goes every 00:22:57.170 --> 00:23:01.390 spring for us and he insists that while he doesn't 00:23:01.390 --> 00:23:03.609 mind doing large shows at large bases that he 00:23:03.609 --> 00:23:06.430 won't go unless he can go to some forward operating 00:23:06.430 --> 00:23:09.789 bases. So we have to engineer a tour to make 00:23:09.789 --> 00:23:11.970 sure that he gets to some really small locations 00:23:11.970 --> 00:23:15.789 and he takes him and his guitarists out to entertain 00:23:15.789 --> 00:23:20.099 troops. Dallas Cowboys' cheerleaders are on tour 00:23:20.099 --> 00:23:23.059 now. They've been going on tour since Vietnam, 00:23:23.420 --> 00:23:26.339 especially this time of year. They have been 00:23:26.339 --> 00:23:29.859 going to Japan and Korea this year. They're going 00:23:29.859 --> 00:23:35.000 to the Persian Gulf area. And so we sort of run 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:37.359 the gamut, and we're delighted that celebrities 00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:41.480 still step up. Gary Sinise has gone around the 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:44.440 world for us, I don't know how many times, taking 00:23:44.440 --> 00:23:47.740 either. going by himself just to talk to troops 00:23:47.740 --> 00:23:51.720 or taking the Lieutenant Dan Band with him. It's 00:23:51.720 --> 00:23:55.619 a big roster. I just think it's amazing and I 00:23:55.619 --> 00:23:57.960 want people to really understand that these people 00:23:57.960 --> 00:24:00.519 are volunteering to go over there. In fact, one 00:24:00.519 --> 00:24:03.559 of the clips that I was listening to with Bob 00:24:03.559 --> 00:24:07.539 Hope, he said he went back and they asked him 00:24:07.539 --> 00:24:11.900 to go again. I said, okay. He went off and did 00:24:11.900 --> 00:24:16.599 these shows. I'm always amazed at the programs 00:24:16.599 --> 00:24:18.700 that they put on and the reception that they 00:24:18.700 --> 00:24:22.779 got and that he gave up his Christmas for 40 00:24:22.779 --> 00:24:26.299 years to put on these programs. Many of these 00:24:26.299 --> 00:24:29.259 people today are following in those footsteps. 00:24:29.700 --> 00:24:34.819 If we look at the USO during World War II and 00:24:34.819 --> 00:24:37.119 what they did, of course traveling around the 00:24:37.119 --> 00:24:39.440 world for those four years, what happened to 00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:44.660 the USO after World War II? Well, in 1947, as 00:24:44.660 --> 00:24:48.299 the military was being pared back, Harry Truman 00:24:48.299 --> 00:24:52.480 gave the USO an honorable discharge and thanked 00:24:52.480 --> 00:24:55.759 the USO for its services. And over the next couple 00:24:55.759 --> 00:25:00.019 of years, the USO wound down its activities around 00:25:00.019 --> 00:25:04.380 the world until 1950. And when the Korean War 00:25:04.380 --> 00:25:09.480 started, the USO was once again asked to do what 00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:12.049 it had done in World War II. and we've been going 00:25:12.049 --> 00:25:16.230 strong ever since. In Korea, of course, we had 00:25:16.230 --> 00:25:19.130 the flyer that I sent around. I found a picture 00:25:19.130 --> 00:25:20.789 of Marilyn Monroe and found out that she had 00:25:20.789 --> 00:25:24.329 gone to Korea a couple of times. Of course, the 00:25:24.329 --> 00:25:26.329 entertainers and Bob Hope, of course, went to 00:25:26.329 --> 00:25:30.930 Korea. I had an email from one of our listeners 00:25:30.930 --> 00:25:32.769 that said that he had seen Bob Hope in Korea 00:25:32.769 --> 00:25:38.089 and it just meant so much to him to see the program. 00:25:39.210 --> 00:25:41.369 you know, being all these, you know, American 00:25:41.369 --> 00:25:43.869 guys are overseas and Bob Hope brings over all 00:25:43.869 --> 00:25:45.789 these, you know, these young American women and 00:25:45.789 --> 00:25:47.130 they say, oh, you know, this is what you're fighting 00:25:47.130 --> 00:25:50.509 for. And it's kind of interesting. Go ahead, 00:25:50.630 --> 00:25:55.589 John. Marilyn Monroe went to Korea. She and Joe 00:25:55.589 --> 00:25:59.869 DiMaggio were in Japan and she decided that she 00:25:59.869 --> 00:26:01.390 wanted to go to Korea and went over there and 00:26:01.390 --> 00:26:04.380 she came back. The story is that She said, Joe, 00:26:04.519 --> 00:26:06.160 you can't imagine what it's like to have thousands 00:26:06.160 --> 00:26:07.920 of people yelling your name. And he said, oh, 00:26:07.980 --> 00:26:12.579 yes, I can. Yeah, I would say so. Yeah, it's 00:26:12.579 --> 00:26:14.200 probably a little bit of different experience 00:26:14.200 --> 00:26:17.680 for most of the movie people anyway, to have 00:26:17.680 --> 00:26:21.180 people yelling and screaming your name. It was 00:26:21.180 --> 00:26:23.400 amazing when I was listening to these clips. 00:26:23.559 --> 00:26:25.079 And again, I encourage people, if you want to 00:26:25.079 --> 00:26:26.779 find out more about some of these shows that 00:26:26.779 --> 00:26:29.480 the USO put on, you can find them, of course. 00:26:30.119 --> 00:26:32.920 But when I was editing them out, I would edit 00:26:32.920 --> 00:26:35.240 out sometimes two and three minutes of the troops 00:26:35.240 --> 00:26:38.779 just cheering, just because. And that hasn't 00:26:38.779 --> 00:26:45.779 changed. Those shows, and your audience needs 00:26:45.779 --> 00:26:47.799 to understand, one thing that they do know about 00:26:47.799 --> 00:26:50.990 the USO is probably entertainment. And it's about 00:26:50.990 --> 00:26:55.289 10 % of what we do. It's a huge 10%. And it's 00:26:55.289 --> 00:26:58.230 extraordinarily important. People today in Afghanistan, 00:26:58.710 --> 00:27:01.509 this time of year, we take a tour over there. 00:27:01.529 --> 00:27:03.769 They'll wait for three or four hours in the snow 00:27:03.769 --> 00:27:07.789 and sit through a two or three hour show. It 00:27:07.789 --> 00:27:10.509 means that much to them. And the response is 00:27:10.509 --> 00:27:13.450 exactly the same. It's noisy. It's boisterous. 00:27:13.849 --> 00:27:16.650 And it's one reason that once we get a performer 00:27:16.650 --> 00:27:19.299 to go on a tour, we don't have trouble recruiting 00:27:19.299 --> 00:27:22.579 that performer again. Well, I guess here's a 00:27:22.579 --> 00:27:24.339 question I come up with. What about security 00:27:24.339 --> 00:27:28.380 for these people? That's kind of, you know, the 00:27:28.380 --> 00:27:30.420 guy called in, Robbie, you know, he's saying, 00:27:30.740 --> 00:27:32.079 you know, they took us in there. Of course, they 00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:33.819 don't want us to bring our weapons into the show. 00:27:34.180 --> 00:27:37.900 Well, now they do. Oh, OK. The weapons are all 00:27:37.900 --> 00:27:43.059 cleared. But Robin Williams said that the most 00:27:43.059 --> 00:27:44.940 sobering event occasionally ever had was when 00:27:44.940 --> 00:27:48.039 he walked out into, I think, Iraq. The whole 00:27:48.039 --> 00:27:52.460 front row was armed. He said, this is an incentive 00:27:52.460 --> 00:27:54.940 to do well. I was going to say, it's not a program 00:27:54.940 --> 00:27:56.900 that, pardon the pun, you don't want a bomb at 00:27:56.900 --> 00:28:00.220 that one. That's for sure. You mentioned that 00:28:00.220 --> 00:28:03.140 the entertainment portion of the USO is only 00:28:03.140 --> 00:28:06.900 10 % of what you really do. We got about three 00:28:06.900 --> 00:28:08.180 minutes, so we're going to take another break, 00:28:08.299 --> 00:28:10.500 John, but give me some of the other activities 00:28:10.500 --> 00:28:13.759 that the USO is involved with. We operate at 00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:16.599 160 locations around the world, you mentioned. 00:28:16.880 --> 00:28:20.599 in your run -up, the USO centers at airports. 00:28:21.339 --> 00:28:23.900 We have USO centers at the major airports in 00:28:23.900 --> 00:28:25.720 the United States. We also have them around the 00:28:25.720 --> 00:28:28.319 world. We have nine USO centers in Afghanistan. 00:28:29.019 --> 00:28:32.259 That's where most of our traffic is right now. 00:28:32.859 --> 00:28:35.359 Those centers get about between eight and nine 00:28:35.359 --> 00:28:37.900 million visits a year from troops and family 00:28:37.900 --> 00:28:41.799 members, and they're important connections back 00:28:41.799 --> 00:28:44.720 home for troops and for families that are stationed 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:47.710 overseas. So the biggest part of what we do happens 00:28:47.710 --> 00:28:51.130 at our USO centers around the world and we'll 00:28:51.130 --> 00:28:53.890 be opening a new one in just a few months in 00:28:53.890 --> 00:28:55.789 Nashville and we'll talk a little later about 00:28:55.789 --> 00:28:59.009 a big project that we're putting on in the Washington 00:28:59.009 --> 00:29:02.829 DC area at a couple of military hospitals. Okay, 00:29:03.230 --> 00:29:04.869 in these last two minutes, I'm just going to 00:29:04.869 --> 00:29:07.049 read an email that I got from Al Wood, and Al 00:29:07.049 --> 00:29:10.849 Wood is in Australia, and he was in Vietnam with 00:29:10.849 --> 00:29:14.009 the Australian military, and he said that after 00:29:14.009 --> 00:29:16.450 a recent visit to Washington DC for the 30th 00:29:16.450 --> 00:29:19.369 anniversary of the wall, one more gem awaited 00:29:19.369 --> 00:29:21.410 us as we departed Dallas International Airport 00:29:21.410 --> 00:29:24.690 for home. On arrival off the coach from the city, 00:29:24.769 --> 00:29:27.690 we passed a sign to a USO lounge, caught my eye 00:29:27.690 --> 00:29:30.299 and I... delved deep back into my memory and 00:29:30.299 --> 00:29:32.960 I had been into a USO club in Vung Tau, South 00:29:32.960 --> 00:29:37.339 Vietnam way back in 1969. So once we leave to 00:29:37.339 --> 00:29:40.319 our luggage we had some three hours to kill and 00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:43.900 I went back and asked if an allied forces veteran 00:29:44.929 --> 00:29:47.710 in Vietnam was eligible to go. And of course, 00:29:47.769 --> 00:29:49.650 when I showed them some idea to prove I was a 00:29:49.650 --> 00:29:51.109 veteran, they manning the lounge, they said, 00:29:51.390 --> 00:29:53.349 welcomed us to come in with open arms and had 00:29:53.349 --> 00:29:55.650 sure beat the heck out of sitting in the departure 00:29:55.650 --> 00:29:57.670 lounge. So there was a fridge full of beverages, 00:29:58.009 --> 00:30:00.809 a microwave, an offer with any range of frozen 00:30:00.809 --> 00:30:03.690 meals, coffee, lounge chairs, TV, quiet room 00:30:03.690 --> 00:30:06.329 with beds there and a nap if necessary, and internet 00:30:06.329 --> 00:30:08.670 PCs and telephone calls to anywhere in the world 00:30:08.670 --> 00:30:12.150 were offered. All of this at no charge. Priority 00:30:12.150 --> 00:30:15.309 security check -in was also given to us. And 00:30:15.309 --> 00:30:17.289 he said that they later found chocolate sweets 00:30:17.289 --> 00:30:19.789 stuffed into the jacket pockets on their flight 00:30:19.789 --> 00:30:23.019 home. and he just wanted to say apparently this 00:30:23.019 --> 00:30:25.700 USO facility is also offered at many other airports 00:30:25.700 --> 00:30:28.380 across the USA. It should be kept in mind the 00:30:28.380 --> 00:30:31.200 ladies were there were so hospitable and welcoming 00:30:31.200 --> 00:30:33.880 to Barbara when his wife Barbara says we were 00:30:33.880 --> 00:30:36.940 very impressed thank you very much he says. That's 00:30:36.940 --> 00:30:39.180 a great story thank you for sharing that. And 00:30:39.180 --> 00:30:41.420 I think that that's that's just the way that 00:30:41.420 --> 00:30:44.359 the USO is. We're going to be coming up and taking 00:30:44.359 --> 00:30:46.220 a break here in a minute John. I'm going to play 00:30:46.220 --> 00:30:49.410 another little segment after this break. of one 00:30:49.410 --> 00:30:51.250 of the Bob Hope shows where he's talking with 00:30:51.250 --> 00:30:53.089 Nguyen Cao Ky, for those of you that were in 00:30:53.089 --> 00:30:55.190 Vietnam you'll recognize that, but I think it's 00:30:55.190 --> 00:30:57.869 important that you listen. So we'll be right 00:30:57.869 --> 00:31:00.349 back. You're listening to Veterans Radio. The 00:31:00.349 --> 00:31:02.190 Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor 00:31:02.190 --> 00:31:04.150 in combat given a member of the Armed Forces 00:31:04.150 --> 00:31:06.349 of the United States. There have been over 3 00:31:06.349 --> 00:31:09.130 ,400 recipients of the nation's highest award. 00:31:09.829 --> 00:31:12.829 This is one of them. First Lieutenant Jack Jacobs, 00:31:13.029 --> 00:31:15.390 although seriously wounded. made repeated trips 00:31:15.390 --> 00:31:17.609 across an open rice paddy evacuating wounded 00:31:17.609 --> 00:31:22.829 and their weapons. Details after this. As a veteran 00:31:22.829 --> 00:31:26.210 of Iraq or Afghanistan, joining IAVA .org really 00:31:26.210 --> 00:31:28.349 helps in the transition home. It's a network 00:31:28.349 --> 00:31:31.170 of OIF and OEF vets like me who've got your back 00:31:31.170 --> 00:31:33.549 here, just like we did over there. That means 00:31:33.549 --> 00:31:35.869 when you need help navigating the GI Bill, we've 00:31:35.869 --> 00:31:37.609 got your back. And when you're dealing with the 00:31:37.609 --> 00:31:39.890 transition home, we've got your back. or when 00:31:39.890 --> 00:31:41.809 you just want someone to share stories with, 00:31:41.950 --> 00:31:44.490 we've got your back. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans 00:31:44.490 --> 00:31:47.230 of America is there for you. Join our community 00:31:47.230 --> 00:31:50.210 at iava .org. We've got your back. Brought to 00:31:50.210 --> 00:31:53.329 you by IAVA and the Ad Council. Jacob served 00:31:53.329 --> 00:31:56.349 as an assistant battalion advisor in Kien Phong 00:31:56.349 --> 00:31:59.210 province, Republic of Vietnam. The battalion 00:31:59.210 --> 00:32:01.289 was advancing when it came under intense heavy 00:32:01.289 --> 00:32:04.089 machine gun and mortar fire. Jacob's called for 00:32:04.089 --> 00:32:06.529 and directed airstrikes on the enemy positions. 00:32:07.039 --> 00:32:09.700 Due to the intensity of the enemy fire and heavy 00:32:09.700 --> 00:32:12.220 casualties to the command group, including the 00:32:12.220 --> 00:32:15.220 company commander, the attack stopped and the 00:32:15.220 --> 00:32:18.240 friendly troops became disorganized. Wounded 00:32:18.240 --> 00:32:21.039 by mortar fragments, Jacobs assumed command of 00:32:21.039 --> 00:32:23.319 the company, ordered to withdraw from the exposed 00:32:23.319 --> 00:32:25.960 position, and established a defensive perimeter. 00:32:26.779 --> 00:32:28.519 Despite heavy bleeding from head wounds that 00:32:28.519 --> 00:32:31.299 impaired his vision, Jacobs returned under intense 00:32:31.299 --> 00:32:33.619 fire to evacuate a seriously wounded advisor 00:32:33.619 --> 00:32:36.109 to safety. where he administered life -saving 00:32:36.109 --> 00:32:39.809 first aid. He then returned through heavy automatic 00:32:39.809 --> 00:32:42.049 weapons fire to evacuate the wounded company 00:32:42.049 --> 00:32:45.230 commander. Jacobs made repeated trips across 00:32:45.230 --> 00:32:48.150 the fire swept open rice paddies, evacuating 00:32:48.150 --> 00:32:51.069 wounded and their weapons. On three separate 00:32:51.069 --> 00:32:54.210 occasions, Jacob drove off Viet Cong squads who 00:32:54.210 --> 00:32:56.109 were searching for allied wounded and weapons, 00:32:56.509 --> 00:32:59.069 single -handedly killing three and wounding several 00:32:59.069 --> 00:33:02.190 others. His actions saved the lives of a U .S. 00:33:02.450 --> 00:33:06.009 advisor, and 13 Allied soldiers. The Medal of 00:33:06.009 --> 00:33:08.230 Honor series is a production of Veterans Radio. 00:33:09.170 --> 00:33:11.630 The war began for two years and I got the calling. 00:33:11.809 --> 00:33:15.589 I got the calling to join the service and support 00:33:15.589 --> 00:33:18.710 the boys over there. Thousands of American troops 00:33:18.710 --> 00:33:21.529 have come home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 00:33:22.130 --> 00:33:24.450 suffering the effects of post -traumatic stress 00:33:24.450 --> 00:33:27.529 and traumatic brain injuries. I never thought 00:33:27.529 --> 00:33:30.710 that I would have PTSD. I thought that I had 00:33:30.710 --> 00:33:32.930 enough coping skills. I don't think anybody who 00:33:32.930 --> 00:33:37.470 goes into combat could ever honestly say that 00:33:37.470 --> 00:33:40.410 they're not different when they come home. What 00:33:40.410 --> 00:33:43.769 you take as a simple thing is not so simple for 00:33:43.769 --> 00:33:46.529 me anymore. I'm gonna have my good days and my 00:33:46.529 --> 00:33:49.269 bad days and I really don't like those bad days. 00:33:49.630 --> 00:33:51.470 I would say to those people that are out there, 00:33:52.529 --> 00:33:56.250 don't brush this aside and don't count us out. 00:33:57.049 --> 00:34:00.690 Help the USO support these troops and their families. 00:34:01.029 --> 00:34:05.369 Donate today at giveuso .org. The wounds are 00:34:05.369 --> 00:34:09.690 invisible. The stories are real. Here's the show 00:34:09.690 --> 00:34:12.050 I still don't believe. The largest GI audience 00:34:12.050 --> 00:34:14.650 I ever played to. The nicest Christmas present 00:34:14.650 --> 00:34:18.269 we ever had. Some say 30 ,000, some say 28 ,000. 00:34:18.409 --> 00:34:21.010 You come. I'm going out to grab them before I 00:34:21.010 --> 00:34:28.739 lose a single one. I just want to tell you it's 00:34:28.739 --> 00:34:30.679 great to be back here in General Westmoreland's 00:34:30.679 --> 00:34:41.780 ranch. General Westmoreland went to see the president. 00:34:41.940 --> 00:34:53.090 I guess it didn't work out. He's back. This space 00:34:53.090 --> 00:34:55.730 is loaded with brass. One PFC spent his whole 00:34:55.730 --> 00:34:57.289 tour of duty trying to salute his way out of 00:34:57.289 --> 00:35:07.670 the washroom. They don't have this many stars 00:35:07.670 --> 00:35:09.650 at the Academy Awards and there's just as much 00:35:09.650 --> 00:35:24.860 jealousy. enough about my problem. Now, Vietnam 00:35:24.860 --> 00:35:27.639 is less than half the size of California and 00:35:27.639 --> 00:35:30.260 the same shape. So why doesn't Ronald Reagan 00:35:30.260 --> 00:35:31.820 come over here and straighten the whole thing 00:35:31.820 --> 00:35:40.780 out? This is Christmas Day. I tell you, it's 00:35:40.780 --> 00:35:42.619 a wonderful thing here in Vietnam, and there's 00:35:42.619 --> 00:35:44.980 a great holiday spirit. This morning, a perfect 00:35:44.980 --> 00:35:47.059 stranger handed me a gift beautifully wrapped. 00:35:47.280 --> 00:35:49.659 I can't get over the way he tied the fuse into 00:35:49.659 --> 00:35:53.500 a bowl. Vietnam is the only place in the world 00:35:53.500 --> 00:35:55.119 where you can get a Purple Heart opening your 00:35:55.119 --> 00:35:58.440 Christmas presents. And Santa's afraid to come 00:35:58.440 --> 00:36:00.739 to Vietnam. Last year he only got as far as the 00:36:00.739 --> 00:36:04.000 first hole when he was picked up by the MPs. 00:36:09.239 --> 00:36:12.380 After the show of the man, all four stars, General 00:36:12.380 --> 00:36:21.929 Westmoreland, came up on stage. Bob, I want to 00:36:21.929 --> 00:36:24.610 thank you and your talented troop for a wonderful 00:36:24.610 --> 00:36:32.630 show. There's a very distinguished gentleman 00:36:32.630 --> 00:36:38.329 in the audience who has seen Bob Scholl for four 00:36:38.329 --> 00:36:44.849 years. At this time, I would like to introduce 00:36:44.849 --> 00:36:48.610 the Vice President of the Republic of Vietnam, 00:36:49.360 --> 00:37:03.679 Nguyen Cao Ky. I would like to take this opportunity 00:37:03.679 --> 00:37:08.199 to express to all my fellow fighters on behalf 00:37:08.199 --> 00:37:13.579 of my people, my country, our gratitude. We know 00:37:13.579 --> 00:37:18.260 how big your sacrifice. We know how big. your 00:37:18.260 --> 00:37:22.920 dedication. I'm sure the generation of Vietnamese 00:37:22.920 --> 00:37:28.460 today and those to come will remember you. Merry 00:37:28.460 --> 00:37:36.559 Christmas and Happy New Year. And we're back 00:37:36.559 --> 00:37:38.639 on Veterans Radio and that was a Bob Hope show 00:37:38.639 --> 00:37:41.440 and long been and I just thought it was interesting 00:37:41.440 --> 00:37:44.079 for those of you out there who you know wondered 00:37:44.079 --> 00:37:46.590 how the Vietnamese felt about our troops being 00:37:46.590 --> 00:37:48.909 there for so long. I just, I like that comment. 00:37:48.969 --> 00:37:51.329 It kind of made me feel good when I heard that 00:37:51.329 --> 00:37:53.949 from me and Cal Key. We're talking with John 00:37:53.949 --> 00:37:57.869 Hanson, who is the Senior Vice President of the 00:37:57.869 --> 00:38:00.869 USO and is an Air Force veteran himself. John, 00:38:00.889 --> 00:38:03.829 we were talking earlier not only about what the 00:38:03.829 --> 00:38:06.570 entertainers do and what the facilities are that 00:38:06.570 --> 00:38:09.889 the USO provides around the world, but what else 00:38:09.889 --> 00:38:13.070 is the USO doing to help America's veterans? 00:38:15.700 --> 00:38:18.500 So over the past couple of years we've started 00:38:18.500 --> 00:38:22.219 a project we call Operation Enduring Care. We 00:38:22.219 --> 00:38:25.539 realized that one of the USO's great traditions 00:38:25.539 --> 00:38:29.500 was to be at military hospitals around the world. 00:38:30.119 --> 00:38:32.780 And we're actually with these troops today when 00:38:32.780 --> 00:38:35.260 they're wounded in Afghanistan. We're at Kandahar 00:38:35.260 --> 00:38:41.460 at the big hospital and at Bagram. We're at the 00:38:41.460 --> 00:38:44.400 combat stress clinics around Afghanistan. when 00:38:44.400 --> 00:38:46.900 the troops come back through Germany and stop 00:38:46.900 --> 00:38:50.820 at Landstuhl, we have a USO center that is part 00:38:50.820 --> 00:38:55.300 of the Landstuhl Army Hospital there that provides 00:38:55.300 --> 00:38:58.059 a break not only for the people who are in the 00:38:58.059 --> 00:39:00.639 hospital, but for the troops' caregivers and 00:39:00.639 --> 00:39:04.059 for the medical personnel there. And we have 00:39:04.059 --> 00:39:06.219 been operating that military hospital since the 00:39:06.219 --> 00:39:09.159 end of the Second World War, but we wanted to 00:39:09.159 --> 00:39:13.050 ramp up that activity. So we are... In about 00:39:13.050 --> 00:39:16.070 five weeks, we will open the first of our warrior 00:39:16.070 --> 00:39:19.230 and family centers. Two of them we're building 00:39:19.230 --> 00:39:22.670 now. One, the first will be at Fort Belvoir, 00:39:22.690 --> 00:39:25.949 Virginia, just south of Washington. The second 00:39:25.949 --> 00:39:29.010 one will be built next year at the new Walter 00:39:29.010 --> 00:39:34.510 Reed Military Facility in Bethesda, Maryland. 00:39:35.269 --> 00:39:37.690 But these centers will be very large, the largest 00:39:37.690 --> 00:39:42.159 USO centers in the world. But what's more important 00:39:42.159 --> 00:39:44.199 than how big they are is that we think they'll 00:39:44.199 --> 00:39:49.340 be offering some hope. Right now, any of us who 00:39:49.340 --> 00:39:51.400 have ever been in the hospital know that after 00:39:51.400 --> 00:39:53.920 three or four days, the hospital wants you out 00:39:53.920 --> 00:39:56.579 and you want out. And it's really unusual to 00:39:56.579 --> 00:40:00.539 stay at a hospital for a long time. An amputee 00:40:00.539 --> 00:40:03.679 at Walter Reed, for example, is there for an 00:40:03.679 --> 00:40:07.900 average of 18 months. And that amputee's world 00:40:07.900 --> 00:40:10.960 is pretty much... his or her hospital room, the 00:40:10.960 --> 00:40:13.500 rehabilitation facility, and whatever surgical 00:40:13.500 --> 00:40:18.519 suite he or she may have to go to. So we wanted 00:40:18.519 --> 00:40:22.380 to provide a place not just for the troops to 00:40:22.380 --> 00:40:25.840 go during their recuperation, but also for families 00:40:25.840 --> 00:40:28.980 to begin the process of starting their lives 00:40:28.980 --> 00:40:32.840 for what comes after the military. So we'll have 00:40:32.840 --> 00:40:34.780 continuing education, a place to watch movies, 00:40:34.920 --> 00:40:37.010 a place for kids to play. There'll be kitchens 00:40:37.010 --> 00:40:38.949 there so they can prepare home -cooked meals. 00:40:40.250 --> 00:40:42.289 There won't be residential facilities, but there'll 00:40:42.289 --> 00:40:46.889 be areas of respite, a place to deal with what 00:40:46.889 --> 00:40:49.630 is sometimes an enemy none of them anticipated, 00:40:49.769 --> 00:40:53.809 which is despair. So thanks to the generosity 00:40:53.809 --> 00:40:56.809 of some of our donors and some great corporations, 00:40:57.050 --> 00:40:59.510 we'll open the first center at Fort Belvoir in 00:40:59.510 --> 00:41:02.710 early February. The second one will be built 00:41:02.710 --> 00:41:07.239 and completed, we hope. by the end of 2013. Wow. 00:41:07.719 --> 00:41:09.599 Make sure you let us know about that because 00:41:09.599 --> 00:41:11.840 that sounds like a great opportunity to do a 00:41:11.840 --> 00:41:14.639 program about what the USO is doing in addition 00:41:14.639 --> 00:41:17.280 to providing entertainment for our troops. Well 00:41:17.280 --> 00:41:22.679 these centers are in the middle of a campus of 00:41:22.679 --> 00:41:27.659 where troops are recovering and you were generous 00:41:27.659 --> 00:41:32.320 enough to hear a USO PSA about Invisible Wounds 00:41:32.320 --> 00:41:36.460 of War, and we're working closely with the National 00:41:36.460 --> 00:41:38.679 Intrepid Center of Excellence for Traumatic Brain 00:41:38.679 --> 00:41:43.340 Injury to make sure that we can add whatever 00:41:43.340 --> 00:41:46.440 value we can to the programs they offer, whether 00:41:46.440 --> 00:41:49.519 it's art therapy, a place to put on a program. 00:41:50.340 --> 00:41:53.480 We work cooperatively with a lot of great nonprofits, 00:41:53.559 --> 00:42:00.250 and we're proud to do that. our step into making 00:42:00.250 --> 00:42:04.889 sure that wounded, ill and injured troops and 00:42:04.889 --> 00:42:09.650 their families have a place to recover and to 00:42:09.650 --> 00:42:12.309 get started to look down the road and take on 00:42:12.309 --> 00:42:17.079 the challenges when they go home. Well, I certainly 00:42:17.079 --> 00:42:20.699 appreciate what the USO is doing and also to 00:42:20.699 --> 00:42:24.199 talk a little bit more about how we as private 00:42:24.199 --> 00:42:27.059 citizens now can help the USO. What do we need 00:42:27.059 --> 00:42:30.599 to do? Is the USO a government agency? Never 00:42:30.599 --> 00:42:35.400 has been and it will shock no one that after 00:42:35.400 --> 00:42:38.260 the USO was formed during World War II, the War 00:42:38.260 --> 00:42:40.800 Department decided it was a great target of opportunity. 00:42:41.420 --> 00:42:44.420 And President Roosevelt said that if it is not 00:42:44.420 --> 00:42:46.280 supported by the American public, it doesn't 00:42:46.280 --> 00:42:49.500 deserve to exist. And so we have been a private 00:42:49.500 --> 00:42:53.320 not -for -profit organization since our founding. 00:42:54.179 --> 00:42:57.400 And several government studies afterwards said 00:42:57.400 --> 00:42:59.659 that if there weren't a USO, they have to create 00:42:59.659 --> 00:43:03.840 one. We have been, we're supported by millions 00:43:03.840 --> 00:43:07.539 of individual donors and dozens of really great 00:43:07.539 --> 00:43:10.380 American corporations who help us do what we 00:43:10.380 --> 00:43:13.559 do. Well, we're going to, coming up on a break 00:43:13.559 --> 00:43:15.699 here in a couple of minutes, John, and then we're 00:43:15.699 --> 00:43:16.880 going to come back and we're going to talk about 00:43:16.880 --> 00:43:19.579 some of the other things that the USO does and 00:43:19.579 --> 00:43:23.659 how people can donate money to help out the USO. 00:43:23.780 --> 00:43:27.179 I think it's such a valuable resource for us 00:43:27.179 --> 00:43:30.119 all to support. I mean, there are so many different 00:43:30.119 --> 00:43:32.239 organizations out there and it sounds as though 00:43:32.239 --> 00:43:34.599 the USO is sort of acting like a clearinghouse 00:43:34.599 --> 00:43:36.280 with some of the other great organizations that 00:43:36.280 --> 00:43:40.559 are out there too. We work cooperatively with 00:43:40.559 --> 00:43:44.900 some really great non -profits and we add value 00:43:44.900 --> 00:43:47.280 to each other. You're listening to Veterans Radio 00:43:47.280 --> 00:44:08.599 and we'll be right back after this. Nothing in 00:44:08.599 --> 00:44:12.139 my purse and chuckles when the preacher said 00:44:12.139 --> 00:44:25.269 for better or for worse for the memory of Schubert's 00:44:25.269 --> 00:44:30.130 serenade little things of jade and traffic jams 00:44:30.130 --> 00:44:35.230 and anagrams and bills we never paid how lovely 00:44:35.230 --> 00:44:42.039 it was we who could laugh And that, of course, 00:44:42.119 --> 00:44:44.699 is Bob Hope again, because Bob Hope, to many 00:44:44.699 --> 00:44:47.420 of us, was and is the face of the USO, although 00:44:47.420 --> 00:44:50.519 that has changed dramatically today. And we have 00:44:50.519 --> 00:44:53.599 many other entertainers who are out there. Our 00:44:53.599 --> 00:44:56.360 guest, John Hanson, who is a senior vice president 00:44:56.360 --> 00:45:00.340 with the USO, talked about. And I guess one of 00:45:00.340 --> 00:45:03.179 the ones that I always hear about is Gary Sinise. 00:45:03.420 --> 00:45:05.119 Can you tell me a little bit about his involvement? 00:45:05.400 --> 00:45:06.719 Because, boy, I tell you, it seems like he's 00:45:06.719 --> 00:45:11.559 everywhere. Gary's a great guy. He, obviously, 00:45:12.599 --> 00:45:16.039 his experience in Forrest Gump got him interested 00:45:16.039 --> 00:45:19.480 in military service. He's got a number of family 00:45:19.480 --> 00:45:21.639 members who served, and I think his brother served 00:45:21.639 --> 00:45:25.599 during Vietnam. And you might not know that he 00:45:25.599 --> 00:45:27.760 was very active in Chicago, in his hometown, 00:45:28.539 --> 00:45:34.199 in veterans issues. So early in this war, we 00:45:34.199 --> 00:45:38.280 asked him to go on our first. USO tour to Iraq 00:45:38.280 --> 00:45:42.000 and we haven't been able to stop him since. He's 00:45:42.000 --> 00:45:47.159 also, he plays bass in a rock and roll band that 00:45:47.159 --> 00:45:50.960 he's called the Lieutenant Dan Band and we've 00:45:50.960 --> 00:45:54.300 taken that band around the world as well to entertain 00:45:54.300 --> 00:45:57.340 troops and family members. He's one of the most 00:45:57.340 --> 00:46:01.760 generous people in the business and we'll do 00:46:01.760 --> 00:46:04.079 just about anything we ask if he's available. 00:46:04.239 --> 00:46:06.760 He's a great guy. Well, we certainly here at 00:46:06.760 --> 00:46:09.579 Veterans Radio appreciate what Gary does, not 00:46:09.579 --> 00:46:11.820 only for the USO, but how he has supported veterans 00:46:11.820 --> 00:46:14.119 all along. I just think it's wonderful. Yeah, 00:46:14.260 --> 00:46:17.900 he was one of the speakers at the Disabled Veterans 00:46:17.900 --> 00:46:20.519 for Life Memorial groundbreaking a year or so 00:46:20.519 --> 00:46:25.139 ago, and he's been a big supporter of that memorial. 00:46:25.500 --> 00:46:28.059 He's a veteran's friend, and he's a friend of 00:46:28.059 --> 00:46:30.800 troops and families. Well, and there are many 00:46:30.800 --> 00:46:33.159 more like him and I can't even go through all 00:46:33.159 --> 00:46:36.739 the names and I'm sure you couldn't either. We 00:46:36.739 --> 00:46:38.719 were talking and when I was looking at the USO 00:46:38.719 --> 00:46:41.920 website, which is USO .org, you can go on there 00:46:41.920 --> 00:46:45.000 and make a donation still in time for Christmas. 00:46:45.440 --> 00:46:48.219 But you had an interesting thing on your site 00:46:48.219 --> 00:46:51.440 about that you can give money in different denominations 00:46:51.440 --> 00:46:53.619 for different gifts for veterans. Could you talk 00:46:53.619 --> 00:46:55.900 just briefly about that? I think you're talking 00:46:55.900 --> 00:46:59.900 about the USO Wishbook. We started it in November 00:46:59.900 --> 00:47:03.219 of last year. It's an online alternative giving 00:47:03.219 --> 00:47:07.739 catalog and it gives donors an opportunity to 00:47:07.739 --> 00:47:13.599 give symbolically gifts in a number of price 00:47:13.599 --> 00:47:20.110 points. Including this year, we added some gifts 00:47:20.110 --> 00:47:23.889 for wounded warriors. So you can, for $60, for 00:47:23.889 --> 00:47:26.809 example, you can provide a flight home comfort 00:47:26.809 --> 00:47:29.130 kit that has blankets, airplane pillows, those 00:47:29.130 --> 00:47:33.969 kinds of things. And you can even, we've got 00:47:33.969 --> 00:47:37.670 gifts there that will help troops write a resume 00:47:37.670 --> 00:47:41.960 or get some job counseling. or send a military 00:47:41.960 --> 00:47:44.960 kid to camp. These are opportunities for people 00:47:44.960 --> 00:47:49.780 to give to the USO but to target their gift to 00:47:49.780 --> 00:47:52.599 something that's meaningful to them. So these 00:47:52.599 --> 00:47:56.219 are virtual gifts and we talk to our troops and 00:47:56.219 --> 00:47:59.179 our families all year long to find out what's 00:47:59.179 --> 00:48:02.559 important to them and we try to make that happen. 00:48:03.440 --> 00:48:05.539 I thought that was a wonderful program when I 00:48:05.539 --> 00:48:07.769 saw that. And the other thing I know you can 00:48:07.769 --> 00:48:10.429 do is that you can make donations in honor of 00:48:10.429 --> 00:48:13.130 somebody. Yeah, you can make a gift in honor 00:48:13.130 --> 00:48:16.030 of a family member, someone who's longer with 00:48:16.030 --> 00:48:20.469 us. And if it's for a family member, they'll 00:48:20.469 --> 00:48:23.329 get a card that will let them know that somebody 00:48:23.329 --> 00:48:28.199 has donated to the USO in their honor. That's 00:48:28.199 --> 00:48:32.219 how I got involved. John, I want to thank you 00:48:32.219 --> 00:48:34.320 so very much for being on Veterans Radio today. 00:48:34.400 --> 00:48:35.920 And if there's anything that we can ever do to 00:48:35.920 --> 00:48:38.880 help out the USO, don't hesitate to give us a 00:48:38.880 --> 00:48:41.780 call and we'll be there to help you as much as 00:48:41.780 --> 00:48:43.960 possible. Well, Dale, we appreciate the opportunity 00:48:43.960 --> 00:48:46.420 to be with you and wish all your listeners the 00:48:46.420 --> 00:48:48.039 best for the holidays and the new year. We'll 00:48:48.039 --> 00:48:50.599 be talking with you soon. Absolutely. Thank you 00:48:50.599 --> 00:48:52.340 very much and a Merry Christmas to you and yours. 00:48:52.719 --> 00:48:56.619 And to you. Bye bye. All right, folks. the USO 00:48:56.619 --> 00:48:58.500 and we all are familiar with the USO and we're 00:48:58.500 --> 00:49:00.340 not going to close the program now but I've got 00:49:00.340 --> 00:49:03.099 one more thing that I want to play for you as 00:49:03.099 --> 00:49:06.099 a clip from one of the Bob Hope programs and 00:49:06.099 --> 00:49:08.519 we're going to play that right now and then we're 00:49:08.519 --> 00:49:09.900 going to come back and we're going to end up 00:49:09.900 --> 00:49:13.460 the program at that point. So yeah, here we go. 00:49:25.710 --> 00:49:29.550 It's a holiday season. You're away from home, 00:49:30.070 --> 00:49:34.349 a long way away from home. And they begin singing 00:49:34.349 --> 00:49:38.409 Silent Night and the entire audience chimes in. 00:49:39.210 --> 00:49:42.190 And by the time you're singing the last refrain, 00:49:43.130 --> 00:49:47.710 most men, and we were mad men, had tears rolling 00:49:47.710 --> 00:49:50.670 down their eyes. And all you could hear were 00:49:50.670 --> 00:49:53.429 people crying. They wanted to dry their eyes. 00:49:53.949 --> 00:50:00.969 And the fight. It was beautiful and it was happy 00:50:00.969 --> 00:50:05.570 and it was very sad at the same time. There was 00:50:05.570 --> 00:50:08.530 this entire audience of mostly men just in tears 00:50:08.530 --> 00:50:11.909 and of course we were all in tears. And I will 00:50:11.909 --> 00:50:14.250 never forget that moment. Every single show. 00:50:21.849 --> 00:50:30.820 Have a Merry Christmas and God bless you. So 00:50:30.820 --> 00:50:35.239 joyous and, you know, we'd laugh till we cried. 00:50:36.159 --> 00:50:37.480 There were these guys who were going to go maybe 00:50:37.480 --> 00:50:40.019 a number of them were going to go die. We're 00:50:40.019 --> 00:50:42.659 all laughing together. That's a real service. 00:50:45.039 --> 00:50:47.519 In a lot of ways that's probably the last performance 00:50:47.519 --> 00:50:51.010 any of those guys saw. In that regard, that speaks 00:50:51.010 --> 00:50:54.050 volumes about the man. Bob Hope is one of a kind. 00:50:55.230 --> 00:50:59.110 He's a saint and if he isn't, he should be. God 00:50:59.110 --> 00:51:06.079 bless Bob Hope. God bless Bob Hope and God bless 00:51:06.079 --> 00:51:08.280 all of the people that work with the USO and 00:51:08.280 --> 00:51:10.639 again I encourage you please go to their website 00:51:10.639 --> 00:51:14.179 USO .org and donate today. They can use the funds. 00:51:14.480 --> 00:51:16.800 We've asked these men and women to go overseas 00:51:16.800 --> 00:51:20.119 numerous times and many of them have missed holidays 00:51:20.119 --> 00:51:24.429 with their families. and they're friends and 00:51:24.429 --> 00:51:27.030 this is one way that we can support them and 00:51:27.030 --> 00:51:29.889 the USO does a great job and I'm not just chilling 00:51:29.889 --> 00:51:31.750 just for the USO. There are many other great 00:51:31.750 --> 00:51:33.449 organizations out there and this is the time 00:51:33.449 --> 00:51:35.989 of year when they need your contributions, they 00:51:35.989 --> 00:51:38.670 need your donations to help out these men and 00:51:38.670 --> 00:51:41.010 women because without these men and women many 00:51:41.010 --> 00:51:42.769 of us wouldn't have the opportunity of being 00:51:42.769 --> 00:51:46.130 here and our lives would probably be a lot different 00:51:46.130 --> 00:51:50.489 if we were to. you know, not support these organizations. 00:51:50.670 --> 00:51:53.570 I think what was interesting in talking with 00:51:53.570 --> 00:51:56.190 John was that, you know, the USO is an organization 00:51:56.190 --> 00:52:00.289 that is strictly volunteers. And, you know, as 00:52:00.289 --> 00:52:01.690 President Roosevelt said, well, you know, if 00:52:01.690 --> 00:52:03.170 the American people aren't going to support an 00:52:03.170 --> 00:52:04.809 organization like this, then what's the point? 00:52:05.670 --> 00:52:07.610 Well, you know, we've got a lot of people, men 00:52:07.610 --> 00:52:11.570 and women out there that are defending us every 00:52:11.570 --> 00:52:13.769 single day. And it's only it's less than 1 % 00:52:13.769 --> 00:52:16.900 of our population. And, you know, we've all heard 00:52:16.900 --> 00:52:19.460 about those 1 percenters. Well, there's 99 percent 00:52:19.460 --> 00:52:21.119 of us that are not involved with the military 00:52:21.119 --> 00:52:23.559 any longer, and it's up to us to support these 00:52:23.559 --> 00:52:25.400 men and women. And I'm hoping that you will do 00:52:25.400 --> 00:52:27.780 that with your contributions to organizations 00:52:27.780 --> 00:52:30.780 like the USO and some of the other ones that 00:52:30.780 --> 00:52:35.400 are out there. This is a pretty emotional program. 00:52:35.559 --> 00:52:36.940 I didn't realize that some of these things were 00:52:36.940 --> 00:52:40.449 going to get to me like they always do. But we 00:52:40.449 --> 00:52:42.369 want to thank all of you out there for your support 00:52:42.369 --> 00:52:44.130 of Veterans Radio and we are looking forward 00:52:44.130 --> 00:52:46.389 to another new year coming up. On behalf of all 00:52:46.389 --> 00:52:50.070 of us here at Veterans Radio, Bob, Dale, Nina 00:52:50.070 --> 00:52:53.269 and Maria, in the control room, we want to wish 00:52:53.269 --> 00:52:55.550 all of you a very, very Merry Christmas and a 00:52:55.550 --> 00:52:58.750 Happy New Year and peace on earth to all of you. 00:53:21.639 --> 00:53:31.360 yourself a merry little Christmas let your heart 00:53:31.360 --> 00:53:43.659 be light from now on our troubles will be out 00:53:43.659 --> 00:54:02.679 of sight yourself a merry little Christmas make 00:54:02.679 --> 00:54:49.429 the you Gather near to us Gather near to us once 00:54:49.429 --> 00:55:02.010 more Through the years we all will be together