Senator Robert "Bob" Dole's [Annotator's Note: Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole, American veteran and politician] life was radically affected by World War 2 because of his spinal wounds and subsequent recovery [Annotator's Note: Senator Dole was wounded in action in Italy during April 1945]. He decided to go to law school as a result of his significant injury. It changed everything for him in terms of limiting those things he could participate in because of his disability. There were periods of self-pity during those recovery years. He learned to do things differently including occasionally asking for help. He had to start his life over again including rationalizing his physical limitations. Through an accident, he entered politics and was successful. He has no complaints. His doctor in Chicago [Annotator's Note: Chicago, Illinois] worked on his arm several times. The physician advised Senator Dole that he had to make the most of his life based on what he had left. Dole had to grow up and get on with his life. Doctor Kelikian [Annotator's Note: Hampar Kelikian, Armenian American orthopedic surgeon] had served in World War 2. The doctor became like a second father to Dole. He prompted the young, injured veteran to move forward with his life. Dole was first treated at the battlefront at a MASH—mobile emergency hospital. Doctor Lyle French [Annotator's Note: Lyle A. French] of Minnesota filed a report on his treatment of Dole. The report indicated Dole was wounded and treated in April [Annotator's Note: 1945]. War is terrible. People get hurt and change but manage to get on with their life. Some people cannot transition afterward. Dole was a 2nd Lieutenant following orders leading his platoon [Annotator's Note: Company I, 3rd Battalion, 85th Mountain Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division], so his view of the war was somewhat limited. He knew the US was winning the war. Senator Inouye [Annotator's Note: Daniel Ken Inouye, American veteran, lawyer, and politician] was in the same hospital as Dole in Battle Creek, Michigan. The two men did not know each other beforehand. Dole witnessed the developments of the Cold War [Annotator's Note: a period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States and their respective allies from 1945 to 1991] and then Reagan [Annotator's Note: Ronald Wilson Reagan, 40th President of the United States] came along and freed millions of people from the yoke of Communism. America was slow to get into World War 2 with its isolationism. After Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], there was no choice. The loss of over 400,000 Americans in the war was no small sacrifice. The National WWII Museum in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] and the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. are important reminders of the war for future generations. History buffs are interested in that as well as Korea [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953], Vietnam [Annotator's Note: Vietnam War, or Second Indochina War, 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975], and today's conflicts. Some critics are skeptical of expenses related to museums and memorials, but we owe it to future generations. It demonstrates the sacrifices made by past generations of the country's veterans.

Senator Robert "Bob" Dole [Annotator's Note: Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole, American veteran and politician] entered the Army in 1942. Most of the men in the university were volunteering. Dole decided to join the enlisted reserve and ended up at Camp Barkeley [Annotator's Note: Camp Barkeley in Abilene Texas] with 110-degree heat. As a premedical student, Dole's study and attendance habits were not strong unlike after his discharge when he improved his grades significantly. Life taught him to make changes when needed. He was in an anti-tank company in the 75th Division [Annotator's Note: 7th Infantry Division] but then went on to OCS [Annotator's Note: officer candidate school] and Army Specialized Training Program [Annotator's Note: Army Specialized Training Program; generally referred to just by the initials ASTP; a program designed to educate massive numbers of soldiers in technical fields such as engineering and foreign languages and to commission those individuals at a fairly rapid pace in order to fill the need for skilled junior officers] at Brooklyn College [Annotator's Note: in Brooklyn, New York]. He learned about Brooklyn and his mates learned about Kansas. They were going to be engineers, but the shortage of 2nd lieutenants changed that. He made corporal before going to OCS at Fort Benning [Annotator's Note: Fort Benning, Georgia] to become a 90-day wonder [Annotator's Note: derogatory slang for a newly commissioned graduate of three month, or 90-day, officer candidate or midshipman school]. He was in OCS Class 360. He recently had a call from a classmate who wanted to visit, and Dole will make arrangements to do so. There were 16 and a half million veterans but now there are only five million [Annotator's Note: at the time of this interview]. World War 2 veterans today can take advantage of the Honor Flight [Annotator's Note: a national network of independent Hubs working together to honor our nation's veterans with an all-expenses paid trip to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to visit the war memorials] Program to visit the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. where they will be treated with great respect and at no cost. Dole has become the chief greeter for every group that comes in. He has been impressed with the program. It is the best experience some of the veterans have had in 20 years.

Senator Robert "Bob" Dole [Annotator's Note: Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole, American veteran and politician] was wounded in action in Italy in April [Annotator's Note: April 1945 with Company I, 3rd Battalion, 85th Mountain Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division]. Details of the event are in his book [Annotator's Note: "One Soldier's Story: A Memoir" by Bob Dole]. During the action, Dole's radio man, Steve Sims [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling], had gotten ahead of him and was hit. Dole attempted to retrieve Sims through the heavy incoming fire. Halfway there, Dole felt a sting in his right shoulder and could not move. Someone finally turned him over and put his arms on his chest. After eight or nine hours, it turned into a long day. It was 14 April [Annotator's Note: 14 April 1945]. Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] had died on 12 April [Annotator's Note: 12 April 1945]. The men were in shock and tears with Roosevelt's death. There were thousands killed that day in his division. It was a tough area, but the advance successfully continued. There were a lot of dead and wounded left behind. [Annotator's Note: some discussion proceeds between the interviewer and Dole about formalities related to authorizations to display artifacts at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans. As the two go off camera, the video continues for some minutes prior to being stopped.]