Bob, may you rest in peace. You are my hero and friend, forever

Bob is a very special personal friend. We laughed together and even cried together a time or two. He campaigned for me in Iowa, and I campaigned for him when he ran for president. Those of us living in Iowa used to joke that, "Bob, spends so much time in Iowa that we need to make him an honorary citizen!" Bob knew I held commercial and instrument flying certificates. We were campaigning in northern Iowa when he ran for president. Our plane, made a rather rough landing. Bob reached over to me and very seriously asked, “We're OK aren't we?”

This man gave so much for his country

A true war hero asking a country bumpkin if we were all right. That will stick in my mind forever. It's an example of the genuine kind of man Bob was. This man gave so much for his country. As you probably know, he suffered severe injuries during a battle in World War II. The injuries left him partly disabled, but he showed up for work every day in a freshly-pressed shirt matched with a classy tie. You all know I am a strong proponent of term limits. However, Bob is a man I would exempt from those beliefs. He is a true public servant, who always placed God and country ahead of himself. His leadership and his presence as an American hero working every day to make our country better should remain in the minds of all of us and be taught to our children and grandchildren. Bob is what America is all about! His wife, Elizabeth, when she was Secretary of Transportation, came to Shenandoah to speak at our daughter Allison's high school graduation. That's the kind of classy pair these two wonderful people are. Bob, may you rest in peace. You are my hero and friend, forever. I pray the day comes when we can go together to the Angel Café, sit for a while and talk about all the good things in this country.