Walter Cronkite Gets USO Honor

Longtime CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite was honored in New York with a Spirit of Hope Award for his news coverage of the major wars.

The award was created by the USO to honor Americans whose patriotism and service to the troops reflect that of Bob Hope. In November 1997, Hope was designated the first and only honorary veteran of the United States Armed Forces for his decades of entertaining troops both in peacetime and in combat zones.

The award was presented Thursday at the 1998 USO Holiday Gala aboard the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum.

"I'm embarrassed, I must say, about receiving an award that has been named in the fashion after Bob Hope himself," Cronkite said. "He is such a great man himself, such a great supporter of our troops."

The USO praised Cronkite's behind-the-scenes work in wartime to convey all the images of war, including those of laughter amidst grim realities, to friends and family back home.

Among Cronkite's favorite USO memories is his first meeting with Hope.

"I crowded down to the front row in hopes I could meet [him]," Cronkite recalls. "The way he greeted me was tremendous. He said, 'Hi ya, fella!' and moved to the next guy. But anyway, it was a great memory."

Among the entertainers at the tribute was bluesman B. B. King, who took the stage with his guitar, which he calls "Lucille."

King recalled the days when Cronkite anchored the evening news on CBS. "He was a man you could believe," said the musician.

Also on hand were the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, who are celebrating their 37th tour with the USO.

"It's a great honor to receive this incredible award," Cronkite told the audience. "I will live with the memories of this night forever."

CBS This Morning Co-Anchor Mark McEwen reports that Cronkite has received so many awards over the years that he has had to send most of them to the University of Texas for storage. "They probably had to build a new campus," McEwen quipped.