'I've never seen anything like what our country is going through today': Bob Dole, 96, compares America's Covid-19 crisis to WWII when he was almost killed by machine gun fire in Italy

  • Bob Dole posted a positive message on Twitter amid the coronavirus pandemic
  • The 96-year-old Republican said he has not seen anything like the current crisis
  • He marked 75th anniversary of the day he was wounded in Italy during WWII
  • Former senator said US would get through the virus with 'love and support'
  • Dole added that dedication of doctors and nurses would see the nation through

By CHRIS DYER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Published: | Updated:

Bob Dole has compared coronavirus to the Second World War, when he nearly died and was left partially paralyzed during fighting in Italy.

The 96-year-old Republican said he has not seen anything like the current crisis that has gripped the world after first emerging in China last December.

But the former senator, who represented Kansas during the 1980s an 1990s, vowed the US would get through the pandemic due to the same dedication of doctors and nurses who saved his life 75 years earlier.

The former Senate majority leader and the 1996 Republican candidate for president who lost out to incumbent Bill Clinton, nearly died after being seriously wounded by German machine gun fire.

Former Senator Bob Dole being held up so he can salute the casket of his friend, the late former President George H.W. Bush, as he lay in state at the Capitol in December 2018

Former Senator Bob Dole being held up so he can salute the casket of his friend, the late former President George H.W. Bush, as he lay in state at the Capitol in December 2018

Bob Dole recovering from his wounds in after being seriously injured in Italy in April 1945

Bob Dole recovering from his wounds in after being seriously injured in Italy in April 1945

He was serving as a young US Army lieutenant in the 10th Mountain Division when he was struck in the upper back and right arm near Castel d'Aiano in the Italian Alps in April 1945.

Dole was hospitalized for three years and left with limited mobility in his right arm and numbness in his left arm. 

He suffered spinal cord bruising, lost a kidney and his recovery was compounded by blood clots and infection. 

Robert Dole served as a young US Army lieutenant in Italy when he was injured in 1945

Robert Dole served as a young US Army lieutenant in Italy when he was injured in 1945

But the war veteran said neither the horrors of WWII, the Vietnam conflict, the Cold War nor 911 were like the current global crisis.

Yesterday Dole took to Twitter to mark the 75th anniversary of the day he suffered his near fatal wounds. 

He posted a message of hope to his followers amid the coronavirus lockdown, saying that with 'love and support' the country will 'come out stronger and more united than ever'.

The veteran senator wrote: 'Seventy-five years ago today, I was wounded in the hills of Italy and I thought my life was over.

'Thanks to the skills of great doctors and nurses, the love of my family, and support  of my friends, I learned that my life was just beginning. 

'I've seen a lot of history in the past 75 years - and have been fortunate to play a small role in writing some of it - but I've never seen anything like what out country is going though today.' 

Dole also said he was 'the most optimistic man in America' and believed the US would triumph in the face of the pandemic. 

So far, the US has had more coronavirus cases and fatalities than any other country, with 615,183 cases and 26,094 deaths. 

He added: 'A few years back, I said I was ''the most optimistic man in America''. I still am. I am confident that - thanks to the skills of great doctors and nurses, the love of our families, and the support of our friends, our nation will persevere, and we will come out stronger and more united than ever.' 

Since his devastating injuries, Dole minimizes the effect of numbness in his arm by keeping a pen in his right hand. 

Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole and former President George H.W. Bush receiving a standing ovation after Bush introduced Dole at a rally Tampa in 1996

Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole and former President George H.W. Bush receiving a standing ovation after Bush introduced Dole at a rally Tampa in 1996

Former Sen. Bob Dole, with former First Lady Barbara Bush (left) holding hands with her husband, former President George H.W. Bush, during the playing of 'Taps' at a Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony in Texas in 2016

Former Sen. Bob Dole, with former First Lady Barbara Bush (left) holding hands with her husband, former President George H.W. Bush, during the playing of 'Taps' at a Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony in Texas in 2016

He was decorated three times with two Purple Hearts for his injuries and the Bronze Star with 'V' Device for valor for his attempt to assist a downed radioman. 

After working as an attorney, Dole went into politics and a member of the House of Representatives from 1961 to 1969 and in the Senate from 1969 to 1996, serving as the Senate Majority Leader from 1985 until 1996.

Dole ran against George H.W. Bush in the 1988 Republican presidential primary in a bitter battle, but Bush ultimately won the nomination and Dole stayed in the Senate. 

However, the two men forged a working relationship and began great friends. 

Dole was pictured paying an emotional tribute to the former president when he was helped out of his wheelchair to stand and salute the casket of his friend at the Capitol in December 2018. 

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