Bob Dole: 5 interesting facts about World War II veteran, longtime US senator from Kansas
Former opponent Bill Clinton awarded Dole Presidential Medal of Freedom
A few months after losing to President Clinton in the 1996 election, Dole was honored by his former rival by being award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to a civilian.
In a ceremony held on Jan. 17, 1997, Dole joked that while he had dreamed that he would receive something from Clinton that week, he “thought it would be the front door key.”
Dole also said that he “will cherish it as long as I live, because this occasion allows me to honor some others who are more entitled,” including the medic who saved his life during World War II.