As we prepare to celebrate the 80th Commemoration of the end of World War II, we honor the sacrifice of the millions of service members and everyday Americans who helped win the war, as well as those who helped spur our troops to victory, such as legendary entertainer Bob Hope.
On September 2, 1945, with the U.S. fleet and air forces standing by, thousands gathered on the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay to witness the signing of the Instrument of Surrender that brought World War II to an end. From August 30-September 2, 2025, the Battleship Missouri Memorial and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum are joining efforts to commemorate the end of World War II. The official Commemoration ceremony will be at the Battleship Missouri Memorial on September 2.
For information on the full schedule of events and how to participate, visit USSMissouri.org/endofwwii or www.PearlHarborAviationMuseum.org.
The Commemoration events, which salute the service and honor the hope of our Greatest Generation, are proudly presented with support from the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation.
Bob Hope’s story is one of the many American hero stories the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation is working to bring to life as part of the “Remember Pearl Harbor” vision now under development at Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. Watch for details as this vision unfolds.
For many of these valiant Americans of our Greatest Generation, Bob Hope was their voice — the person who best connected them to home and hope during the war. For all but a handful of his #1 rated Pepsodent radio shows during WWII, Bob Hope performed from a military location.ADVERTISEMENTBut his performances at the front lines, and on bases and ships were where Bob Hope and his traveling troupe left their greatest mark during World War II. Bob’s troupe most often included comic Jerry Colonna, singer Frances Langford, dancer Patty Thomas, musician Tony Romano and gag writer Barney Dean.
Hope and his “gypsies,” as he called them, entertained our troops at USO shows in Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, Europe, North Africa and Sicily. Bob connected with the troops so powerfully that he became a trusted friend to many. Thousands wrote letters to him, asking advice or just telling him about their combat experiences or their families. And many widows and parents of service members wrote Bob to tell him the positive impact his wartime appearance made on the life of their loved one.
In fact, more than 100,000 troops signed petitions asking the Pentagon to send Bob Hope to the Pacific. And in 1944, he went. He and his gypsies logged more than 30,000 miles in the South Pacific, giving more than 150 performances on bases, ships, tiny islands and atolls — often with enemy troops lurking nearby.
Hope and his writers always customized their shows with jokes tailored to the local venue, because he thought the troops laughed hardest when the joke was on them…or their superiors. “The GI can take it,” Bob said. “He’s laughing off the icy cold, the searing heat, the bugs and the scorpions, his fears and his frustrations. Our GI’s real enemies were boredom, mud, officers, and abstinence. Any joke that touched those nerves was a sure thing.”
Famed novelist John Steinbeck wrote about Bob Hope in the New York Herald Tribune: “When the time for recognition of service to the nation in wartime comes to be considered,” Steinbeck began, “Bob Hope should be high on the list. It is impossible to see how he can do so much, can cover so much ground, can work so hard, and can be so effective. He works month after month at a pace that would kill most people…. And he has been doing this ever since the war started. His energy is boundless.”
Time magazine put Bob Hope on its cover, with the tagline “First in the Hearts of the Servicemen.” The accompanying article, “Hope for Humanity,” noted that the comedian had just performed “about 250 camp and hospital shows in eleven weeks.”
More than 7,000 entertainers, including the biggest stars in show business, entertained our military during World War II. But Bob Hope was #1 in the hearts of our troops — just as he performed for our troops overseas until 1990, when he was 87 years old. There was truly magic in the Humanity of Hope!
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