Comedian Bob Hope and actress Lana Turner demonstrate a new dance called the Bossa Nova to U.S. troops during a four-day Christmas tour of South Korea in December 1962. “The last time I was in Korea there were no roads, but they’ve made a lot of improvements since 1950. Now they’ve got a white line running down the middle of the mud,” Hope quipped. (Stars and Stripes)

You don’t need the razor-sharp wit or comedic timing of Bob Hope to qualify for the award that bears his name. A record of duty, loyalty and selfless service may be enough.

Anyone within the Department of Defense is eligible for the Spirit of Hope Award, which recognizes voluntary contributions of time, talent or resources that significantly enhance the quality of life of service members and their families worldwide.

The deadline for nominations is April 17, according to a recent news release from the office of the Secretary of the Navy. More information about the award and a nomination template is available at https://dod.go.mil/spiritofhopenomination.

Hope spent five decades traveling to military bases around the world entertaining U.S. troops. He first performed for a military audience at a USO show in May 1941 at March Field in California, months before the United States entered World War II.

He continued performing during the war and in later conflicts, including appearances in North Korea during the Korean War and in Vietnam during the conflict there. His final USO performance took place in Saudia Arabia in December 1990 during Operation Desert Shield, according to the organization’s website.

Hope performed on 57 USO tours, reaching an estimated 10 million troops worldwide, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Comedian Bob Hope passes out candy to children in South Vietnam's Tan Phu Trung province on Dec. 25, 1966, during his annual Christmas tour of U.S. bases in Asia. Hope had just performed for the 25th Infantry Division at Cu Chi. (Stars and Stripes)

Congress designated Hope an honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces in 1997. He was also the first recipient that year of the award named in his honor. Hope died in 2003 at age 100.

The Spirit of Hope Award recognizes individuals who embody the values of duty, honor, courage, loyalty, integrity and selfless dedication, according to Defense Department Instruction 1005.14.

Past recipients include Cindy Boyd, president of Precision Contracting Services Inc. in Florida, who received the award in 2019 for years of volunteer work that included providing care packages, hosting dinners and purchasing airline tickets for soldiers, according to an Army news release.

The following year, the award went to DIA employee April Maletz for volunteer efforts to raise $500,000 for Honor Flight, a program that brings war veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit memorials. Maletz participated in 20 missions that brought more than 1,600 veterans to the nation’s capital, according to the agency.

“I live a charmed life,” she said in the DIA news release announcing her award in August 2020. “I have been exposed to American greatness and I don’t take that for granted.”