Bob Hope: America's Only Honorary Vet

In honor of Independence Day, Patch salutes Bob Hope, one of America's most famous patriots of all time.

Hope, who lived in Toluca Lake for over 60 years, performed in so many USO shows he was probably in more combat areas than most generals. Over six decades, Hope entertained more than 12 million U.S. servicemen and women during 700 trips stateside and overseas in times of peace and war, according to Veteran's News and Information Services. Hope entertained combat troops in every major war from World War II through the first Gulf War.

In 1997, by an act of Congress signed by President Bill Clinton, he was named an "Honorary Veteran" of the United States military. He is the only person in history to ever receive this honor.

Despite being one of America's great patriots, Hope was actually born in England. He moved to Cleveland with his family when he was a small child and became a citizen when he was 17.

Hope died in 2003 at the age of 100.

In honor of the great comedian, patriot and former Brit on Independence Day, we thought we would share some of his great one-liners about the military and England:

• "The Vietnam War finally ended in an agreement neither side intended to honour. It was like one of Zsa Zsa Gabor's weddings."
• "Now that the war is winding down, I want to say I do appreciate you fellows hanging around here - just for me." -- On a visit to Vietnam in 1972. 
• "As soon as I arrived in camp they gave me a 10-gun salute - or so they told me on the operating table." -- In Vietnam
• "If I had that kind of money, I wouldn't come to Vietnam, I'd send for it." -- Denying reports during a Christmas troop show in Saigon that he was worth $500 million.
• "Be happy you guys. Be proud! You know what you are: you're God's frozen people." -- To GIs based in Alaska.
• “They spend the first six days of each week sowing their wild oats. Then they go to church on Sunday and pray for crop failure.” -- on sailors
• "I don't understand terrorists," he quipped 10 years before the Sept. 11 attacks. "How could anyone get so angry, so involved, so worked up about anything? ... I mean outside of golf."
• "I felt I wasn't getting anywhere in England," explaining his family's emigration to America when he was 4 years old.
• "My folks were English. They were too poor to be British. I still have a bit of British in me, in fact my blood type is solid marmalade."
• "I see the Beatles have arrived from England. They were 40 lbs. overweight, and that was just their hair," on meeting the group in 1964
• "He was bare chested and in good trim. I said that just looking at him I knew there would always be an England," on meeting Prince Charles in 1976.
• "Seventy years of ad lib material and I am speechless," on hearing about his 1998 knighthood.

Sources: CBS, BBC, Daily Mail, The Telegraph