Marie Osmond Praises Bob Hope As Her ‘Second Dad’ – ‘I Love Our Military’

It’s been twenty years since Bob Hope passed away at the age of 100, but he is still dearly missed by fans to this day. In a new interview, the singer Marie Osmond is opening up about the friendship that she shared with Hope, revealing that they bonded over a mutual love for the military.

Hope ‘Like A Second Dad To’ Osmond 

“Bob was like a second dad to me,” Osmond, 63, told Fox News. “The first time I sang ‘Paper Roses’ on national television was on Bob Hope’s Christmas special. I was barely 13. And he never asked my brother to do shows with him, it was just me.”

“[And then] he asked me to do his very last USO tour with him. … I stood where the guns were shot when Desert Storm started. I performed on those guns for all those troops,” she added. “I’ve had some wonderful experiences, and I love our military.”

Hope was known for his love of the military, and he performed for an estimated 10 million servicemen and women at 700 bases and hospitals until he made his final tour in 1990. Osmond was there for Hope’s last holiday tour, entertaining the troops with him along with the Pointer Sisters, Ann Jillian and other acts.

″It was just exciting as hell,″ Hope said afterwards. ″The morale is immense. It was just great. They’re just all ready.″

Check out Hope and Osmond performing together back in 1983 in the video below.

Related: Bob Hope’s Devotion To U.S. Troops Has Never Been Forgotten – ‘He Loved Those Guys’

Osmond Still Connects With Military

During Christmas of 1990, Osmond took the stage on the USS Wisconsin in front of 1,600 sailors and marines in the Persian Gulf weeks before the ship took part in Operation Desert Storm.

Osmond has never forgotten the devotion Hope had to our troops, and he’s inspired her to continuing doing her part to help members of the military in the decades since. In her latest interview, she recalled one encounter with a veteran who was missing both of his legs.

“He was sweating, and he said, ‘I’m so sorry,’” Osmond recounted. “I said, ‘Why are you sorry?’ He says, ‘Well, I don’t have hands. We sweat out of our feet and our hands and I don’t have them. So it’s just my forehead.’”

“We don’t realize the sacrifice these people make for us,” she added as she became emotional. “And so, I honor them deeply. I see what they have done. It’s maybe why I love people so much. You know, all those things – they affect you.”

Hope’s Devotion To The Military

In a time when Hollywood seems more disconnected from the U.S. military than ever, we would all do well to remember Hope’s devotion to our troops.

“Believe me when I say that laughter up at the front lines is a very precious thing — precious to those grand guys who are giving and taking the awful business that goes on there,” Hope once said, according to the USO.

“There’s a lump the size of Grant’s Tomb in your throat when they come up to you and shake your hand and mumble ‘Thanks,'” he added. “Imagine those guys thanking me! Look what they’re doin’ for me. And for you.”

God bless Osmond for continuing Hope’s legacy by doing her part to give back to members of the military. If only there were more celebrities out there who would do the same!

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