From the frontlines of World War II to the halls of the U.S. Congress, former Senate majority leader and presidential candidate Bob Dole said that his life experiences have shaped his idea of political leadership during a speech Friday in Gaston Hall.

Dole, who recently released his memoir, “One Soldier’s Story,” said that his experience in the war was the greatest turning point in his life.

In April 1945, shortly before the war ended, enemy soldiers shot Dole in the back. He said that the spinal injuries he sustained forced him to relearn basic tasks such as walking and feeding himself, and left his right arm permanently paralyzed.

Dole said that his injury made him realize the true meaning of leadership. He cited Dwight Eisenhower as a model of strong leadership for assuming full responsibility for the 1945 D-Day invasion that liberated Normandy from Nazi occupation.

Dole, who served in the Army’s 10th Mountain Division during the war, noted that his generation has often been lauded for its exceptional leadership and was once called “the greatest generation” by NBC journalist Tom Brokaw.

“We were ordinary Americans unexpectedly caught up in extraordinary times,” Dole said.

He praised the National World War II Memorial and encouraged students to visit it, saying that commemorating war is different from celebrating it.

“War represents the ultimate failure of mankind,” he said

After his recovery, Dole said that he was inspired to return to Kansas University to become a doctor, but struggled to keep pace with his classes.

“My grades told a different story,” he said.

Dole instead obtained a law degree in Topeka, Kan. from Washburn University. He said that going to school in the state capital hastened his eventual entry into politics, and joked that his experience dodging bullets during the war prepared him well for an often-bellicose political atmosphere.

The political career that began for Dole with an election to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1951 would lead him to become the longest-serving Senate majority leader in history before he resigned in 1996 to accept the Republican nomination for president.

Dole also discussed his activities after his departure from politics, and drew laughter from the audience when he mentioned the endorsements he has done for Pepsi and Viagra.

“I didn’t bring any samples,” he quipped.

During the question-and-answer period following the speech, Dole addressed current national issues, including President Bush’s recent nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. He said that if Democrats attempt to filibuster the nomination, Republican senators would be justified in invoking the “nuclear option,” which would make it more difficult for the minority party to lead a filibuster.

The speech was sponsored by the Lecture Fund.