Subject: BOB HOPE-------You might like this one-----TOM
   Date: Tuesday, 29 January 2002

In Olden Times
Thomas M. Deas, MD
29 January 2002

    The other day Bob Hope was Hospitalized for some disorder that I am
sure was due to age and "overdoing." It brought back some very precious
memories of that "ski nosed" funny man that all of us who were in the
service love. I thought back to the end of summer l944 in New Guinea. I
will tell you that we were ecstatic when we heard that Bob Hope, Jerry
Colona, Les Brown, Frances Langford, and Patti Thomas had flown into
Tadje Air Drome and were going to entertain us that night, down on the
Beach.

    Now we had come in from a very hard month, or so, of fighting which
included pushing the Japs back across the Driniumor River, and
stabilizing the River Line which was about 11-15 miles east of Aitape. 
Then it included a Regimental Combat Team "push" into the Jungle and up
into the foothills of the Mountains to dispense with a very large body
of Japanese who were trying to dispense with us. Well, it meant, really,
about 6-7 weeks of constant fighting and we had been successful so we
had trudged back to the beach, all our wounded had been taken care of
and we had sent a Grave Registration Team with some riflemen to pick up
our dead, and EVERY ONE OF THEM was found and brought out to the
temporary Grave Yard. So we were absolutely "bushed". We had been
resting, trading with the 32nd Division for some extra food and, having
gotten our July Pay many of us had gotten into Crap Games...so we were
ready for some real entertainment, cause most of us had lost whatever
money we had been paid....and here was Bob Hope!

    They set him up on the beach South of us where it was very wide and
had a stage down near the beach. When I arrived at the site I found that
there was a solid mass of footsloggers extending from down where the
Generals and Colonels sat. I was a Major, but that didn't cut any ice. I
found a place next to the coconut trees where there was a loudspeaker
and something like a log to stand on, because the men in front of me
must have been 6ft 5in tall and that is where my First Sgt and I stood,
with our trusty binoculars. I had requisitioned a new pair. My other
Binoculars had encountered a Jap Bullet and were "buried." Better them
than me.

    When the entertainment started they looked like ants on the stage,
without the binoculars. Bob Hope was funny, Jerry Colona was his usual
nutty self, and Les Brown played a Guitar. For music, though, we had the
32nd Division Dance Band - Orchestra - or whatever. There were about 15
men playing instruments and doing a credible job. The Band leader had
sung on Radio up in New York before the War and he filled in between
acts. Bob Hope knows HOW to entertain. He gave the Brass the dickens, he
applauded the GI singer (who got 15 encores and had made Francis
Langford so mad that she didn't know what to do - she never had over two
or three encores). Now, Patti Thomas danced with dance suit that showed
all of her best features but was not as revealing as even a bathing suit
was in those days. Anyway, it was a good show and made all of us forget
where we were for several hours. I have always loved Bob Hope ever
since. I found out later that on this trip the plane had motor trouble
and they had to throw out a lot of their luggage to lighten the plane.
If it happened before they got to us, Bob Hope never mentioned it. He
took all the bumps without any griping and I appreciate that. Over the
period from l943 through the WWII, in the post war days, Korea, Vietnam,
in Alaska, Europe, North Africa, and EVERYWHERE American Troops were
stationed, even in danger zones, Bob Hope did his best to bring a smile
and a laugh to those GIs, bless his heart - and I never heard him gripe
or complain. If fact he went out of his way to be sure he went whereever
it was possible - Army, Navy, Air Force - wherever!  I am sure that his
time is limited in this world because of his age and whatever health
problems that have popped up. I assure you he will be missed.

    Someone asked me if I ever saw anyone that I knew while I was
overseas. Just prior to our trip from Dobadura to Aitape, I had a letter
from my sis-in-law that Edwin Woodman had the same APO that I had and
told me his unit name and so forth. I found him one day and drove out to
his Company Headquarters. I was really on edge to get to see someone I
knew, and from my home town!  I walked into the Company Hq Bldg and when
I went into the door, his big First Sgt jumped up and hollered
"Tenshun!"  That scared me - we hadn't been used to doing that where we
had been - and Edwin came out of his office wondering who the heck was
there. He saw me, came to attention and saluted. I was a Major then, and
he was a lst Lt. I gave him a limp salute and grabbed him. Like to have
scared him to death. I told him, "Edwin, I am Thomas Deas, from Arcadia,
Stewart's brother and Mr. W. M. Deas' youngest son." I didn't know Edwin
well but I knew his brother Longino, who was about 3-4 years older than
I. Edwin was about 8-10 years older. He was an Engineer and Road
Builder. The roads at Dobadura were the best I had seen. We went to his
cabin and talked for an hour and he told me to come back Saturday and we
would have supper with Rush Wimberly, who was also building roads.
Anyway, after I left and got back to my Unit, they were packing to move
out so I had to call him and tell him I couldn't make the weekend supper.

    Then, just before the Bob Hope Show, about a week before, right after
we had come in from the Jungle Fighting and before we were set up very
well, my boys had set up a tent so that a bunch of us could sleep
without getting wet. It was nearly dark. I walked into the tent and
someone said, "Hello, Thomas!"  I tried to see who it was, but it was
dark, so I said, "Who the Heck is that?"  He answered, "Jerry Butler."
Well, Jerry was in the supply unit of the 32nd Div and he had heard I
had a bunch of GI Alcohol. (I did. I had 155 gal of 95% - 190 proof -
that had been sent to me at Dobadura when I ordered 5 gallons to make
Athletes Foot Medicine.)  He wanted to trade for a canteen full of that
liquid fire. I had been trying to guard that stuff with my life and had
left my most trusted men with it when we were up in the jungle. But my
boys and I were HUNGRY, so I traded for 2 cases of boned chicken and 2
cases of fruit (canned). Well, we made the trade and I spread the food
out to my boys. The next time I saw Jerry Butler of Arcadia was in J.B.
David Hardware in about late 1960s or early l970s, so that canteen must
have been long lasting.

    I never saw any other person I knew until I came home to the States
and saw my Kay in the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, TX at 3 AM on about
Sept. 25, l945. But I won't forget these two from Arcadia in New Guinea,
and I will NEVER FORGET BOB HOPE!!!!!!!

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Transcribed by Paul M. Webber on 29 January 2002
Home Page: http://home.pcisys.net/~pwebber/31_id/rtw.htm