Honorable Robert Joseph (Bob) Dole served 5½ years in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1948. He was an infantry platoon leader in the 10th Mountain Division serving in Italy. He was twice wounded and twice decorated for heroic achievement. He was hospitalized 39 months as a result of wounds received on 14 April 1945 and was discharged from the Army 29 July 1948 as a Captain. While recovering from his wounds, Dole established a lifelong friendship with another severely wounded soldier, Daniel Inouye, who would go on to serve as a United States Senator from Hawaii from 1963 to 2012. | At 26 years of age, Dole was the youngest State Representative ever elected to the Kansas Legislature from Russell County. He served one term in the State Legislature (1951-53), four terms as Russell County Attorney (1953-61). | In 1960, Dole was elected to the 87th Congress representing the 6th District of Kansas, and In 1962, he was reelected to the 88th Congress from newly reapportioned 1st District of Kansas and served in that capacity until 1969. The 1st District is one of the nation’s largest, and comprises over 60 percent of the area of Kansas, (larger geographically than the State of Pennsylvania or New York) with 58 counties and approximately 550,000 people. | In 1968, Dole was elected to the United States Senate. He began his service in the Senate in 1969 and continued until he retired on 12 June 1996. Senator Dole served as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee (1981-85), Senate Minority Leader (1987-95), and Senate Majority Leader (1995-96) while a U.S. Senator. On 15 August 1996, Senator Dole was nominated as the Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 1996 elections. | After retiring from politics, Senator Dole served in numerous capacities, including as the head of the Federal City Council. He founded and was active in several domestic and international programs to combat child hunger, and was an advisory member of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Senator Dole was the national chairman of the World War II Memorial Campaign, the entity that raised funds to build the National World War II Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C. The memorial was dedicated on 29 May 2004 and attracts more than 4 million visitors annually. | Dole attended public schools in Russell, Kansas, and the University of Kansas at Lawrence. He subsequently transferred to Washburn Municipal University at Topeka where he earned his undergraduate degree and law degree in 1952.