Iowa Flags At Half-Staff in Honor of Midwest Political Giant

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has ordered that all flags in the state of Iowa be flown at half-staff through Thursday in honor of a long-time Midwest Senator and one-time presidential candidate.

Bob Dole, who served in the Senate and represented his home state of Kansas, passed away on Sunday at the age of 98, according to KCRG. Dole served in Congress for 35 years, both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives. As a Republican, he also ran for the office of President three times. But Bob Dole was much more than a presidential runner-up. He was a war hero and fought for years for the disabled in this country.

Dole served in World War 2, and in 1945 he was charging a German position in northern Italy when he was hit by a shell fragment. He had two vertebrae crushed and his arms and legs were paralyzed. Dole spent three years in a hospital in rehab. He never did regain the use of his right hand. He could often be seen in Washington D.C. holding a pen in it, so people wouldn't try to shake that hand.

While in the Senate, Bob Dole helped shape the policy of the U.S. for decades. He fought for farm and nutrition programs and helped write the Americans with Disabilities Act with Iowa Senator Tom Harkin. Dole devoted his later years to crusading for wounded veterans. Dole helped get the World War 2 Memorial built in Washington D.C., and at its dedication in 2004, he called it "our final reunion", according to KCRG.

The last, and perhaps one of the most string images of Dole, came at the funeral of President George H.W. Bush in 2018. Once political rivals, Dole rose out of his wheelchair, steadied himself, and saluted the former President.

We are all saluting you, Senator Dole.