Dec. 25, 1964 - Bob Hope flew to Vinhlong, a South Vietnamese helicopter base in the heart of the Viet Cong-controlled Mekong Delta, today and told the troops:
“A funny thing happened to me when I was driving through downtown Saigon to my hotel last night. We met a hotel going the other way.”
The comedian was alluding to a bomb explosion that virtually wrecked a U.S. officers’ quarters in downtown Saigon yesterday.
Mr. Hope and his troupe of girls performed at the base, 70 miles southeast of Saigon, on the back of a truck before about 400 helicopter pilots and maintenance men. The boom of artillery fire was heard in the distance.
Sandbag bunkers were lined behind the truck on which Mr. Hope, Jill St. John, Jerry Colonna, Janis Paige, and Anna Maria Alberghetti performed.
The company flew back to Saigon for an afternoon show before 3,000 Air Force men.
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