Former Sen. Robert Dole's Military Funeral

February 5, 2022

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February 2, 2022 - Soldiers from the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), the U.S. Army Band (Pershing’s Own) and the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment Caisson Platoon conduct military funeral honors with funeral escort for Sen. Robert Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) in Section 4 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.

In 1942, Dole volunteered for the U.S. Army’s Enlisted Reserve Corps to fight in World War II and was later commissioned as a second lieutenant with the Army’s 10th Mountain Division. In 1945, Dole was seriously wounded while charging a German position in northern Italy where he was hit by a shell fragment that shattered his collarbone and part of his spine, paralyzed him from the neck down. After spending three years recovering, he received two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars with Valor. Dole was medically discharged from the Army in 1947 as a captain.

Dole later became a senator for Kansas from 1969-1996, presidential nominee in 1996, a supporter of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and a dedicated supporter of wounded veterans, including remembrance of WWII veterans.

Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presented the U.S. flag for the service to Dole’s spouse, former Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Army photos by Elizabeth Fraser, Arlington National Cemetery.