Bob Dole: 5 interesting facts about World War II veteran, longtime US senator from Kansas

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Monday, December 06, 2021

Former Senator Bob Dole stands up and salutes the casket of the late former President George H.W. Bush as he lies in state at the U.S. Capitol, on December 4, 2018 in Washington, D.C. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Retired United States senator, World War II veteran, and former presidential candidate Bob Dole died on Sunday at the age of 98, following a battle with lung cancer.

The Elizabeth Dole Foundation, which was named in honor of his wife, who was also a former senator, announced his passing.

“It is with heavy hearts we announce that Senator Robert Joseph Dole died early this morning in his sleep. At his death, at age 98, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years,” stated the Foundation in a Facebook post.

Many paid their respects to Dole on social media and elsewhere, with President Joe Biden releasing a statement in which he described Dole and his wife as “dear friends.”

“Like all true friendships, regardless of how much time has passed, we picked up right where we left off, as though it were only yesterday that we were sharing a laugh in the Senate dining room or debating the great issues of the day, often against each other, on the Senate floor,” stated Biden.

“Bob was an American statesman like few in our history. A war hero and among the greatest of the Greatest Generation. And to me, he was also a friend whom I could look to for trusted guidance, or a humorous line at just the right moment to settle frayed nerves. I will miss my friend.”

Here are five interesting facts about the public service and public life of Bob Dole. They include his service in World War II, his receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a certain distinction he holds in American politics.