America prepares its final goodbyes for yet another hero
Robert Joseph Dole, strapping and handsome during his Russell, Kansas High School, passed up college athletic scholarships to enlist in the U.S. Army during World War II. He had dreamed of becoming a doctor, but like many young men in the 1940s, Uncle Sam had other plans.
Charging a German position in northern Italy in 1945, Dole was hit by a shell fragment that crushed two vertebrae and paralyzed his arms and legs. The young Army platoon leader returned home to America, where he spent 36 months, recovering in a hospital and never regained use of his right hand.
During his recovery, Bob Dole decided that he would devote his life to public service while recovering from severe injuries during World War II. "I figured out that lying in bed the rest of my life was not an option," he said….and he kept that promise.
During his recovery, Dole married his occupational therapist, Phyllis Holden at a veterans’ hospital, in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1948, three months after they met. He also earned a law degree and began a private practice.
Their daughter, Robin, was born on October 15, 1954. Dole and Holden divorced January 11, 1972. Holden died on April 22, 2008. Dole met his second wife, Elizabeth, in 1972. The couple was married on December 6, 1975. They had no children.
This great American died in his sleep early Sunday morning. He had been receiving treatments for Stage IV lung cancer and was responding well. His wife posted the announcement of his passing.
As one writer put it, “American culture served up no purer emblem of the nation’s triumphs and challenges in the postwar period than Mr. Dole, a son of the center of the country, a disabled veteran of the war at the center of the century, a leader in the political dramas that were at the center of American national life.”
Dole and his wife Liz spoke with Rita Braver of CBS News on May 30th this year in What became his final public appearance. During their interview. During their chat, they did discuss the couple share their thoughts on the current state of the Republican Party; the 2020 election; Dole's failed run for president; and President Joe Biden.
Dole told Braver about his long-ago pledge to make a difference in the life of at least one person every day. "Now, I've probably failed in part of that," he said, "but I still work at it."
And he has no plans of stopping. "I don't intend to go quietly," Dole said. "But that's up to a higher level. I want to try to make it to 100."
Highly decorated for his service to the American people On January 18, 1989, Dole was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Reagan.
On January 17, 1997, Senator Dole was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton for service to his country in the military and in his political career. In his acceptance remarks in the East Room of the White House, Dole remarked "I had a dream that I would be here this historic week receiving something from the president — but I thought it would be the front-door key".[46]
In 1997, Dole received the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards.
Dole received the American Patriot Award from the National Defense University in 2004 for his lifelong dedication to America and his service in World War II.
On September 30, 2015, the National Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide Centennial (NCAGC) honored former Senator Bob Dole with the organization's Survivor's Gratitude Award in the category of "Hero of Responsibility and Principle" for his tireless efforts in raising attention to the Armenian Genocide and its victims.
For his lobbying efforts on behalf of Kosovo Albanians before, during and after the Kosovo War, in May 2017, Albanian President Bujar Nishani awarded Dole Albania's highest civilian honor, the National Flag Order medal, at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
On January 17, 2018, Dole was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his service to the nation as a "soldier, legislator and statesman."
In 2019, the U.S. Congress unanimously passed a bill promoting the 95-year-old Dole from captain to colonel for his service during World War II. I've had a great life and this is sort of icing on the cake. It's not that I have to be a colonel; I was happy being a captain and it pays the same," Dole said, jokingly.
Although arrangements are pending, services should take place in both Washington and Kansas, his home state. Ultimately, the old soldier will finally be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.