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Senator Bob Dole of Russell, Kansas has penned a very personal account of World War II. The far away Italian mountainside where Dole wages war prepares the man in his twenties for a lifelong commitment to his country. Not only does he serve in World War II, with distinction, but he wears that valor as an emblem of character throughout his adulthood.
As Chairman of the National World War II Memorial, Dole's memoir is a timely tribute to the men and women whose sacrifices are remembered and honored there. Sen. Dole escorted fourteen members of Congress who were World War II veterans to the Memorial site several days before its dedication and was deeply moved by their reactions to it. Excerpts from his speech are included in the book. His grueling and lengthy recovery from wounds suffered in Italy is the force that directs him into a life of service.
Dole grows up in an impoverished but proud family in Russell, Kansas. Hard work and responsibility drive his childhood, with the knowledge that his efforts can always make for a better life. Creature comforts are slim, but the family is close-knit. Dole sprinkles many letters throughout the pages of ONE SOLDIER'S STORY that he has written to his parents, sisters and brother, from his college days in Lawrence, Kansas to his military station in Europe. His concern for his family's well-being is a resonant theme throughout his letters. Front and back inside cover pages display Dole's heartfelt sentiment about D-Day.
Dole works hard to earn the funds for college. He's off to the University of Kansas at Lawrence for a promising future. The six-foot-two athletically talented young student plays football, basketball, and track at K.U. During his sophomore year, in 1942, Dole's athletic endeavors compete with his scholarly progress. He has joined a fraternity and sends off growing numbers of his brothers to war. At 19, Dole joins the Army Reserve Corps and leaves the university. Dreams of playing basketball for the legendary coach Phog Allen must be set aside for an unknown future.
Dole recounts in detail his early experiences in the military. This period, though interesting, slows the reading a bit. He decides to try for Officer Training and succeeds. From there, his leadership skills are put to the test in Italy, where his unit must maintain ground gained by the Allies in mountainous terrain. His home becomes a foxhole.
The grizzly accounts of the day he is wounded are heartwrenching. Dole has included statements from the soldier who dragged him to safety after he is hit and near death. The defining moment in Dole's life comes when he is carried from the mountain and begins the long process of recovery. Never again will he excel in collegiate sports. But his lifelong virtues of endurance, fortitude, and faith in a power greater than himself will take this man into the livelihood that defines him as Senator Robert Dole, owner of a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
ONE SOLDIER'S STORY is a war story, a memoir written with emotion and genuine respect for sacrifices made by Dole's generation. His own grit and determination mold the man he becomes after his harrowing experiences on the battlefield. Not only does Dole recount his struggle to recovery with pathos, but his optimism illuminates the story throughout. ONE SOLDIER'S STORY is not a political statement; it is a volume of hope for mankind and the future of freedom.
--- Reviewed by Judy Gigstad
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