reflect on him, elizabeth dole and his family but also the fact his bipartisanship made a difference in the life of ordinary americans. he was willing to sit with of the party on the other side of theo aisle, compromising to be determined to get things done. shouldn't we do the same in his honor, i think we should. fdr told the nation that the united states of america was under attack. besides that attack,ea pearl harbor changed the course and fortunes of a young man from russell kansas. today i come toi the floor witha heavyo heart. i'm here to pay tribute to my best friend in the united states senate. yesterday senator dole passed

away at 98 years of age. he was the second longest-serving senate republican leader. when i was first elected to serve in the senate, bob dole took me under his wing. i couldn't have asked for a better mentor. he treated me like a brother even when we disagreed he treated me with respect. the values steered us to champion physical discipline, american agriculture, rural

healthcare and limited government. from humble beginnings the three sports athletes at the university kansas. he was called to serve on the front lines in the northern mountains of italy to the greatest generation, he was battle tested to tackle whatever life throughout him. during his presidential campaigns, he got to know my state of iowa very well. bob loved my state of iowa.

in 1988 and 1996 i was proud to join him on the campaign trail and across the state visiting as many as possible in as many of the 99 counties of possible. i'm going to tell you about some of those introductions and may be some claimants i screwed them up, but it was all with the intention of honoring my friend and fellow senator a person i thought would make a very good president of the united states so i would start out these meetings by telling a story

about the day he nearly lost his life on the battlefield. i wanted to show how this young soldier from the kansas prairie led up the mountain troops to flush out the enemy far from serving chocolate molds at dalton's drugstore in russell kansas. to illustrate the courage and resiliency i explained how he then 21-year-old soldier belly crawled against the mountain valley under heavy artillery to seek what i felt was hill 15 and within bob dole would chime in, kind of interrupting me with some remark.

more often than not, i had the name of m that hill in the introduction of this presidential candidate to the voters of iowa. he patiently said to me it's not hill 15, it was 913. humble through and through. he didn't share that his injuries left him paralyzed from the neck down. rather, he joked that i got the name of the hill wrong. he went on to say that what's important is we are at the right state, meaning iowa, at the right time and right now. senator dole's legacy was secured that today on the mountainside as the second lieutenant of the tenth mountain divisionr as he pulled his radio

operator to safety his right shoulder was nearly blown away. the hit paralyzed him from the neck down. he waited for hours in the pouring rain bleeding and in pain before being carried down the mountain. bob dole was eventually sent home to kansas anybody cast. he endured years of surgery, infections, rehabilitation and relentless pursuit to walk again, and he did. he learned how to write with his left hand. his right arm remaining paralyzed. he never forgot the people that helped him along the way. a doctor in chicago t or the medical professionals in italy.

they made it possible to serve later on in elected office. even though senator dole endured more than his share of hardship, he surely didn't take away his sense of humor. anybody that knew him knew that there was hardly a speech or conversation or something witty wasn't said. he was a master of one-liners and they could defuse a red-hot partisanship with a single quip. as the republican senate majority leader, he finessed the policy issues with a no nonsense charm. he wasse able to find consensus with allies and adversaries

alike. when you senator dole became the chairman of the senate finance committee, he and house speaker tip o'neill forged bipartisan consensus to rescue social security, and here we are 35 years later still in need of some help. less than ten years later, he helped broker the americans with disabilities act of 1990, which my colleague from iowa played a very major role. his compassion for the disadvantaged and formed his informed hislegislative achieveo expand medicare, medicaid, school lunches, hospice and food stamps. senator dole was awarded the world food prize in des moines

with senator george mcgovern, an honor it was. that was the year 2008. theyoo got this world food prize for their work to combat hunger, specifically nutrition for children and poverty. he never forgot where he came and his legislative record reflects his compassion for others. he was a compassionate conservative because of his instincts and because of who he was. he had a noncommon ability to feel like you're the most important person in the world. his authenticity wasn't

manufactured. shaped by the hardships and the sacrifice is a war hero. his instincts guided the decisions on one crucial factor and the looming deadlines. senator dole mastered the art of compromise and embracing transparency and trust and respect of supporters and opponents alike. a senator dole knew what it took to make the senate work. we all know that it's not so very easy to make the senate

work. one of former majority leader referred to the job that as majority leader as the job of herding cats. leader senator dole was effective because he was skilled to figure out what each side needed to claim victory. you can to be an effective leader if you don't have followersol and he had lots of them. he was a war hero and a workhorse rolled into one. a soldier, senator, statesman. t and championing the freedom and liberty. he didn't stop public service,

he poured his heart and soul into honoring veterans. he was instrumental in getting the national world war ii memorial established. for nearly two decades he went there often to greet veterans face to face, each time thanking them for their service and sacrifice. we extend our condolences to the entire family. so many are grieving the loss of the americans here at home and also around the world. from his formeror colleagues to the loyal staffers who work with him here and the united states to the legions of volunteers and supporters that work for him on the campaign trail. senator dole was widely respected as a leader on both

sides of the aisle. on the campaign trail that full speed, he said, quote, to everything there is a season. a quarter century has passed since he shared those very words with us here in u this chamber. today the time has come to say farewell to my mentor and a brother in christ, robert joseph dole. the lord has called him home as a loyal servant. until we meet again, enjoy eternal paradise that has a better view to keep watch over

washington and your beloved sunflower state. it's fair to say that he beat -- may you enjoy the warm sunshine on your face and life everlasting. and may the yoke of hardship born upon your shoulders with and grace, with time and war be taken now by our lord, god and savior. always at the end of the day on the campaign trail, whether it was getting on an airplane to fly to the next stop or in a car going to the motel or a car going to a restaurant we always heard him at the end of the day may be four, five campaign stops

saying free at last. well, now free at last. godspeed, my friend. you made a difference in my life. you made a difference in our country. your service and sacrifice will be celebrated for generations to come. a. >> madam president, it's an honor to be here this afternoon to address my colleagues in the senate and an honor that you sit in the chair as i do so as i pay tribute to the honorable senator bob dole. in church on sunday and christians were preparing for christmas only to learn during that church service, bob dole