Elizabeth Dole Foundation reposted this
Like many other individuals after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Bob Dole left KU to enlist in the U.S. Army and serve in World War II. By 1944, he had graduated from Officer Candidate School and served with the 10th Mountain Division. Shortly thereafter, Dole and his fellow servicemen made their way into the European Theater to fight German forces in Italy. While attacking retreating German forces on April 14, 1945, Dole was critically injured by machine gun fire and grenade shrapnel near Castel d’Aiano, Italy. Losing the full function of his right arm and enduring many other complications, his recovery took years—spending 39 months in multiple hospitals undergoing surgery and physical therapy to recover. While challenging, he credited his physical and mental recovery largely to Armenian surgeon Dr. Hampar Kelikian—whom he affectionally called “Dr. K.” Over seven years, Kelikian operated on Dole seven times at no charge. To pay for his other hospital expenses, the citizens of Russell started the “Bob Dole Fund” by collecting donations with a cigar box on the counter of Dawson’s Drug Store. #DiscoverWithDole #BobDoleAt101 #DoleInstitute