Former VA Secretary Says Elizabeth Dole’s Enduring Legacy Is Championing 14.3 Million Military Caregivers

As Elizabeth Dole marks her 90th birthday, former Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald says her greatest legacy isn’t found in the Cabinet positions she held, the U.S. Senate seat she occupied or the national organizations she led.

Instead, in an exclusive interview with Military.com, McDonald said Dole’s most enduring contribution is her decades-long commitment to recognizing, supporting and giving a voice to the millions of military and veteran caregivers whose sacrifices too often go unseen.

For most Americans, Dole’s legacy is defined by a career of historic firsts. She became the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of transportation, making her the first woman to oversee the U.S. Coast Guard. She later served as secretary of labor, represented North Carolina in the U.S. Senate and became the first woman to lead the American Red Cross since its founder, Clara Barton. Her work on highway safety helped usher in seat belt requirements, airbags and other initiatives credited with saving countless lives.

Elizabeth Dole is the epitome of a leader of character, McDonald told Military.com. Everything she does is focused on serving someone in need. Whether it was one of the Cabinet roles she held or her experiences with Bob at Walter Reed, where she discovered the need to support military caregivers and veterans. I think character is a differentiator.

A Legacy Built on Service

Dole’s public service spans more than half a century.

Beyond serving in two presidential cabinets and the U.S. Senate, she has led national organizations, advocated for transportation safety and championed bipartisan solutions throughout her career. Yet McDonald says those accomplishments tell only part of her story.

“What sets Senator Dole apart is how she carried them,” McDonald said. “She never mistook the person across the table for an enemy. She looked for what she shared with them and built from there.”

McDonald believes that approach, leading through service instead of division, is what ultimately enabled Dole to make one of her most lasting impacts on the military community.

“Leadership is the most scarce resource in the world,” he said during the interview. “And when you have someone like Elizabeth Dole, who consistently puts others first, people follow because they trust her.”

For McDonald, trust and character have always been inseparable.

“Character, number one, is putting the needs of the organization above yourself,” he said. “At the Air Force Academy and at West Point, you learn that as an officer, you always eat last. That’s symbolic of putting needs above yourself.”

He says Dole exemplified those principles throughout her career.

The Moment That Changed Everything

McDonald traces the origins of Dole’s work on military caregivers to Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

While caring for her husband, World War II veteran and former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, during his recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Elizabeth Dole noticed the spouses, parents and family members caring for wounded service members around them. Many had become caregivers overnight, sacrificing careers, financial stability and personal aspirations. McDonald recalled that she was not focused solely on Bob’s recovery.

“This is a very bright lady with tremendous empathy,” he said. “Rather than just being there for Bob, she was recognizing the needs of everyone around her, and spent a lot of time…talking to veterans and their spouses.”

Those experiences inspired the creation of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation in 2012.

Its mission is to strengthen and empower the nation’s military and veteran caregivers while increasing public awareness of the critical role they play.

One of its signature initiatives, Hidden Heroes, has helped shine a spotlight on the estimated 14.3 million Americans caring for wounded, ill or injured service members and veterans.

Through research, community partnerships, employer engagement and public policy advocacy, the Foundation has worked to ensure caregivers receive greater recognition, expanded resources and stronger support networks.

“Throughout her life, Elizabeth Dole has answered every call to serve with grace, courage, and an unwavering belief that our country can do better for those who sacrifice for it,” said Steve Schwab, CEO of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. “Everything we do as a Foundation is rooted in her belief that military and veteran caregivers deserve to be seen, heard, and supported. As she celebrates this remarkable milestone, we celebrate an extraordinary life of service and a movement that continues to change thousands of lives because she refused to let caregivers remain invisible.”

McDonald, who now serves as Chairman of the Foundation’s board, said one of his priorities has been ensuring the organization remains strong for future generations. That has included strengthening its governance, expanding strategic partnerships and building an endowment capable of sustaining the Foundation’s mission for decades to come.

From Recognition to Reform

McDonald believes one of Dole’s greatest strengths has been her ability to translate compassion into policy.

“When I led the VA, I watched her turn that recognition into policy the way she did everything, by refusing to let a good idea belong to only one party,” he wrote. “Her patience was rewarded last year, when the bipartisan Dole Act was signed into law.”

The Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act represented one of the most comprehensive veterans packages enacted in recent years.

Among other provisions, it expanded support for military and veteran caregivers, increased the Department of Veterans Affairs’ share of home-based care costs from 65% to 100%, strengthened mental health resources and improved access to services for veterans and their families.

For McDonald, the legislation reflected years of patient coalition-building rather than partisan politics.

Challenges Remain

Despite that progress, McDonald says significant work remains.

Asked what issues deserve the greatest attention today, he didn’t hesitate.

“I think the biggest issue is access,” he said. “Mental health has got to be number two…and then caregiving, of course. Every time we do a study, there are more people doing the behaviors of caregivers who may not think of themselves as caregivers.”

He noted that caregivers often sacrifice careers, financial security and personal well-being while caring for loved ones.

“Imagine you’re the spouse of a military veteran,” McDonald said. “They get injured. You have to quit your job. It just changes the entire family dynamic and changes the economy of the family.”

Those realities are why the Foundation continues investing in caregiver research, employer initiatives, community partnerships and policy advocacy.

McDonald also said one of his responsibilities as board chairman has been ensuring the Foundation itself remains sustainable.

A Legacy That Continues

For McDonald, Elizabeth Dole’s greatest accomplishment isn’t measured by the offices she held or the titles she earned.

It is measured by the lives of military families who today receive greater recognition because one person chose to notice those whom others overlooked.

In his interview with Military.com, McDonald said Dole’s influence extends far beyond the public offices she held or the legislation she helped inspire. Instead, he believes her enduring contribution is ensuring military and veteran caregivers receive the recognition, resources and support they deserve.

I want to live honorably. I want to lead honorably. I want to try to live a life of excellence, McDonald said while reflecting on the lessons Dole has embodied throughout her career. That’s what character is. That’s what Elizabeth Dole is.

For McDonald, that may ultimately be Elizabeth Dole’s greatest legacy, not the offices she held or the legislation she helped inspire, but ensuring that millions of military and veteran caregivers are no longer invisible.