Tom Hanks remembers Bob Dole – here’s how the Hollywood icon got to know the ‘giant’ of history

Hanks has supported the Dole family in various fundraising efforts

Tom Hanks paid tribute to the late Senator Bob Dole during a memorial service on Friday (10 December) .

Dole was honoured at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Along with Congressional leaders and Dole’s loved ones, guests included President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Bill Clinton.

Hanks and Today show host Savannah Guthrie both spoke during a ceremony later in the day at the capital’s World War II Memorial. Bob Dole was a leader of the fundraising effort that led to the memorial’s opening in 2004. Hanks had lent his support to the fundraising campaign next to Dole.

In his remarks, Hanks honoured Bob Dole’s legacy of service during World War II, adding: “There are many great lessons to take away from Bob Dole’s life. Go to the other guy’s office, so you can decide when the meeting is over, and get up and walk out.

“Speak straight even when it gets you in trouble, because it will, but at least everyone will know how you stand and what you stand for. And always plan, not just to win, but win big. Yes, you may try and fail, but you will not fail to try. And always – always remember.”

Hanks also praised Dole’s efforts to achieve the creation of the World War II Memorial, stating the senator “did all but mix the concrete himself”.

“Bob Dole came to this plaza often,” he said. “To remember, to talk with veterans like himself. The memory and conscience of the man himself will always be here, right here, for as long as there is an America. And that is a good thing, because here, we will always remember Bob Dole.”

Guthrie called Bob Dole a “great American treasure”.

“Don’t let your spirits fall today,” she said. “Don’t cast your eyes downward and say, ‘There goes one of the last good ones.’ Do what he would do and raise them up. Believe in the promise of this country and the goodness of its people. ... Bob Dole once called himself the most optimistic man in America, and if he could be, then surely we can too.”

The actor and the TV star have worked with the Dole family on charity endeavors. Hanks is a chair for the Hidden Heroes campaign, which is orchestrated by the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.

Elizabeth Dole, formerly a senator for North Carolina and Bob Dole’s widow, created the foundation in 2012 to support military caregivers. The Hidden Heroes campaign aims to bring attention to the stories of military caregivers while advocating on their behalf.

Hanks supported the foundation during the launch of the campaign in 2016. “If we want to be a nation that truly cares for those who have borne the battle, we must also be a nation that cares for our caregivers,” he said at the time.

The actor is featured on the campaign’s website, along with a statement that reads: “Unseen and undefined, there are millions of heroes who are caring for our wounded veterans each day. I join with Senator [Elizabeth] Dole in this important national campaign to make us all aware of these hidden heroes – to acknowledge what they do … to connect them to valuable resources. Military caregivers rarely ask for help, but they deserve our support.”

Guthrie has been an ambassador for the foundation since 2018. She and Hanks have participated in events on behalf of the foundation and publicly supported its work over the years. In October this year, Hanks and Guthrie co-hosted an awards ceremony for the organisation.

Hanks supported Bob Dole in other fundraising efforts. In 2015, the actor lent his support to Dole’s fundraiser to create the Dwight D Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, DC. That was after Hanks supported Dole when the senator became the national chairman of the fundraising campaign to build the World War II Memorial in the capital.

President Biden, speaking at the ceremony honouring Dole, called the senator a “giant of our history”.

“Bob Dole was a man of his word. He loved his country, which he served his whole life,” he said. Biden called Dole a “proud Republican” who valued a “willingness to see the other side.”