Tom Hanks: ‘There are many great lessons to take away from Bob Dole’s life’
Bob Dole made one last visit on Friday to the World War II Memorial he helped create, when his casket stopped there for a memorial ceremony.
Former Sen. Elizabeth Dole arrived at the memorial on the national mall after the service for Bob Dole at the National Cathedral earlier in the day. She and Robin Dole, Bob Dole’s daughter, walked with military escorts to an easel with a portrait of their husband and father as the U.S. Army Band played “America the Beautiful.”
During a speech honoring the late Kansas senator, Tom Hanks, who helped in the campaign for the memorial, looked around at the fountains and pillars that honor the soldiers who fought and died in the war.
“To appreciate the life and the accomplishments of Bob Dole, simply look around to where we have gathered today,” Hanks said, recalling how Dole did everything to get the memorial up “but mix the concrete himself.”
Before he rose in national politics to become one of the most powerful senators in the country, Dole served in World War II with the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army. While in battle in central Italy, Dole was shot in his right shoulder and broke his neck and spine. He was 21 years old.
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, went into detail about the mission where Dole was wounded saying “the world exploded around Lt. Dole.”
Dole’s right arm and shoulder were completely mangled. His spinal cord was severely damaged. A fellow soldier dragged Dole behind a stone wall, probably saving his life. Milley said Dole laid there for 10 hours before medics were able to reach him.
“His fight was just beginning….he fought despair and hope,” Milley said.
Savannah Guthrie, the co-host of NBC’s Today, said Dole’s life was a flesh and blood monument to the values celebrated at the World War II Memorial.
All three speakers touched on lessons Dole passed down.
“There are many great lessons to take away from Bob Dole’s life,” Hanks said. “Speak straight, even when it gets you in trouble because it will, but everyone will know where you stand, and what you stand for.”
At the end of the ceremony, Elizabeth and Robin Dole walked to a wreath placed beside the memorial’s gentle pool, surrounded by the granite structures with the names of states and territories at the time of the war.
They touched the wreath, then stood silently for about a minute. “Taps” then played and they were escorted back to their seats. About 200 guests stood and watched.
Earlier Friday, Biden mentioned in his eulogy how Taps would be played in Dole’s honor.
“Taps is now sounding for this soldier of America, forged in war, tested by adversity,” Biden said. “Taps is now sounding for this patriot, driven by a sense of mission to give back to the land that gave everything to him, for which he nearly gave his all. Taps is now sounding for this giant of our time and of all time. We’re bidding this great American farewell.”
Dole’s casket will be brought to Kansas for several ceremonies over the weekend, before heading back to Washington, D.C., for his burial at Arlington National Cemetery.
This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 2:50 PM.