Losing Hope
J. D. Pendry
Are you old enough to remember the annual Bob Hope Christmas shows for the Troops? He and his entertainers traveled the globe at Christmas time into and out of combat zones. Not only were they big events for Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, but for national television audiences here in America too. Millions of American families gathered around the television set to watch Bob Hope entertain the troops eager to catch a glimpse of a familiar face in the audience. After years of watching those shows on television as a kid, I saw one in person at Osan Air Base, Korea in 1972. I stood atop the spare tire on the back of my jeep in order to see the show over top of the crowd. We’ve lost Mr. Hope. Are we also losing the spirit of hope he and his generation gave to us when they stood united with our Serving Men and Women against powerful enemies?
I’m grateful that we still have some entertainers willing to perform for those stationed in remote and often dangerous places. Unless I’ve missed it, however, - I don’t watch much television anymore - none of the shows seem to have made the prime time television lineups. Why do you reckon that is? I suspect that it’s just another indicator of the ever-widening separation between the average American and the Soldier that protects him. Putting human faces on Soldiers might draw too much of a contrast to the murderous, Nazi-like depictions of them provided to us by politicians, the media and others. Don’t you think that a Christmas show for the troops would garner a sizeable television audience - if one could find a major broadcast network willing to air it? No. It’s more likely that I’m just trapped in another time or in some strange alternate reality where family entertainment and troop morale at Christmas deserves and gets much more attention than does Britney’s crotch.
Recently, I watched some World War II newsreels. Not combat footage, but news about things happening here at home to support the Troops. I watched an Air Corps recruiting film starring Jimmy Stewart. Don’t recall him? He was an actor in the days when actors actually had to act. This time of year, he’s quite popular in It’s a Wonderful Life.
Nearly a year before the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Stewart attempted to join the United States Army Air Corps, though his enlistment was initially denied due to a weight problem…. To get up to 148 pounds, he enlisted the help of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s muscle man, Don Loomis… Stewart successfully enlisted in the Army in March 1941. He became the first major movie star to wear a uniform. - Wikipedia
I saw a much different country in those reels. It was mobilized, focused and in action. There was a clip of Walt Disney using the Disney studios to produce military training films. There was the Hollywood War Bond Drive with major stars of the time supporting the effort and encouraging Americans to support it by purchasing bonds. Imagine that happening today. There was the Hollywood Canteen founded by Bette Davis and John Garfield, a place where grateful stars invited Servicemen on their way to combat in to rub elbows.
At the onset of World War II, Garfield immediately attempted to enlist in the armed forces, but was turned down due to heart damage. Frustrated, he turned his energies to supporting the war effort. - Wikipedia
Would today’s self-indulged Hollywood set be inclined to hangout with and show their support for Soldiers? A few might.
I preferred the country I saw in those newsreels, but I am losing hope for its return. We were one America then instead of a conglomeration of squabbling, politicized and politically correct Hyphenated-Americas. On December 7, 1941, an enemy attacked the United States and the entire nation mobilized to confront and defeat him. On September 11, 2001, an enemy attacked the United States again. We held a commission to fix blame, watched many grandstanding politicians and then we went shopping for I-pods and X-boxes. Now, instead of mobilizing for victory we organized a group of stuffed shirts, not a military representative among them, to tell us how best to give up. Just as I’m losing hope for the return of the America in those World War II newsreels, I’m losing hope for an America that can unite as one and defeat an enemy bent on our destruction and on world domination.
We’ve become just a place. We’re no longer owners of a strong national will and character. That’s been replaced by too much politics and too many hyphenated agendas. Our enemies know and they have told us that we lack national will and have traded in our national character for self-centered frivolity and moral relativism. Doesn’t losing hope logically follow? In this season of hope, pray for our Troops and their families. Merry Christmas.
Copyright © 2006 J.D. Pendry
December 10th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
I don’t know what it was, but it seems that after WW2, America lost it’s will to win wars. Our lamestream media can’t seem to get enough stories about how bad our troops are, but can’t seem to find any showing any good the rest of the 99.99% of the troops accomplish.
I never got to see Bob Hope in person, but remember well the shows on TV and all the support he gave the troops, while never engaging in bashing the war effort of the administration, whoever was in. He did make light hearted jokes at them all, but it was in jest, not malicious.
Just this weekend, departing Secretary of Defense made a surprise visit to Iraq where he was asked by a convoy commander on his second tour in Iraq, “Why do I have more patience than someone sitting at home in Fort ‘Livingroom’?” Our media that claims to support the troops, will not air that question to show the public how our troops feel about the job they are doing.
Instead, we will hear our terrible it is these brave, wonderful people have to be away from home during Christmas, yet these same media will go out of their way to eleminate Christmas altogether in the community.
Many in the nation may have lost hope, or never had it, but there are many of us who go unheard that do have hope yet. On that, I send our troops and their families Godspeed for a safe return and Merry Christmas to all.