[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 12870-12871]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 IN SUPPORT OF AWARDING THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO SENATOR ROBERT 
                                  DOLE

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 5, 2017

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, we recognize Senator Dole, a patriot whose 
life and career embody superior public service.
  The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest award we can bestow. We 
confer this honor to men and women who grace our nation with 
exceptional achievements and contributions.
  Senator Bob Dole is a leader of great integrity, a public servant of 
deep dignity and an American hero of extraordinary courage.
  Before the people of Kansas brought him to Capitol Hill, Bob Dole 
fought for our country in the mountains of central Italy during the 
Second World War.
  For his courage and immense sacrifice, he was awarded two Purple 
Hearts and the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster for Valor.
  Bob's bravery was not limited to the battlefield. When he came to 
Congress, he fought relentlessly to ensure that every person in uniform 
would receive the care they needed upon coming home.
  It is a special source of pride that Bob Dole first came to 
Washington to serve in the House of Representatives.
  There, as a proud Representative of western Kansas, he proved his 
mettle as a tenacious fighter for American families and American 
values.
  Later, in the Senate, as Majority Leader, he continued to champion 
the vital causes central to our identity and our ideals as Americans.
  Senator Dole was a champion for justice, battling to expand the civil 
rights of every American during the 1960s.
  He was a champion for working families, reaching across the aisle to 
expand eligibility for food stamps.

[[Page 12871]]

  He was a champion for equality, fighting for passage of the Americans 
with Disabilities Act.
  After he left Capitol Hill, he continued the fight. He has advocated 
tirelessly on behalf of veterans, disabled Americans and families 
struggling with hunger and poverty in every part of the world.
  Twenty years ago, President Clinton awarded the Senator our nation's 
other highest civilian honor: The Presidential Medal of Freedom.
  Receiving this award, he said, ``Our challenge is not to question 
American ideals or replace them, but to act worthy of them.''
  Senator Bob Dole: for a lifetime spent defending, advancing and 
exemplifying our proudest American ideals, we are grateful.
  This Congress thanks you. We send our warmest congratulations to your 
incredible wife Elizabeth--a fierce champion for our hidden heroes: our 
military caregivers--and to the entire Dole family.

                          ____________________