[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 211 (Tuesday, December 7, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S8941]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Remembering Robert J. Dole

  As we know, Bob Dole died on Sunday. Bob served as an officer in the 
10th Mountain Division during World War II. Late in the war, he was 
seriously wounded in action during an attempt to rescue a fellow 
soldier, and he bore the resulting injuries the rest of his life.
  Forced by his wounds to abandon his plans to be a surgeon, he quickly 
found another way to help his fellow Americans: public service. He was 
elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1950 and never looked 
back. In 1960, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives; 
and, in 1968, he won election to the U.S. Senate, where he served for 
27 years.
  He was a Senator's Senator, a master of procedure, and a true 
legislator whose achievements ranged from Social Security reform to 
veterans legislation, to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
  Even after he ended his long career in public service, Bob continued 
to serve. He was an important supporter of the World War II Memorial 
here in Washington, DC, and could often be found there visiting with 
his fellow veterans who had traveled on Honor Flights.
  Marcella and Bob came from different places and different backgrounds 
and, so far as I know, never crossed paths in this life, but they had 
in common that abiding commitment to service that characterized so many 
members of the ``greatest generation.'' Both Bob and Marcella spent 
their entire lives serving their country and their fellow citizens, and 
even retirement didn't slow them down.
  The ``greatest generation'' was a fixture of American life for many 
decades, but its members are rapidly slipping away. Fewer than 250,000 
of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II are still with 
us, and that number dwindles every day.
  We need to make sure that the passing of the ``greatest generation'' 
does not mean the passing of the virtues that they modeled for us: 
humility, patriotism, quiet service, duty, and perseverance.
  We need to remember Bob Dole and Marcella LeBeau and the many others 
like them who, in war and in peace, lived lives of service to our 
country.
  My thoughts and prayers are with Bob and Marcella's families, with 
Bob's wife Elizabeth and his daughter Robin, and with Marcella's 
children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-
grandchildren.