Bob Hope on the Road to Mideast

Bob Hope left Saturday for the Middle East, where he will entertain U.S. troops deployed in Operation Desert Shield.

Hope and his troupe departed from an undisclosed military base in the Los Angeles area. The name of the base and Hope’s travel itinerary were not disclosed for security reasons, said the comedian’s spokesman Ward Grant.

Accompanying Hope, 87, are his wife, Dolores, actress Ann Jillian, country music singer Aaron Tippin and former Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench.

Singer Marie Osmond, the Pointer Sisters and actress Khrystyne Haje of the television comedy “Head of the Class,” are scheduled to join the troupe in the Mideast.

The trip marks Hope’s 33rd USO tour and his 44th year entertaining U.S. service personnel at Christmas. Hope’s first performance was in 1941, when he hosted a radio program at March Air Force Base near Riverside, Calif.