Bob Kerrey
Joseph Robert Kerrey was born on August 27, 1943, in Lincoln, Nebraska, a city that would shape the early contours of his public life. He attended Lincoln Northeast High School before going on to study at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and later at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, grounding himself in the academic institutions of his home state.
Kerrey's career traced a wide arc across military service, politics, and commerce. As a naval officer, he received the Medal of Honor, the Purple Heart, and the Bronze Star Medal — distinctions that marked his military service as both consequential and costly. He subsequently entered the political life of Nebraska, serving as the state's 35th governor from 1983 to 1987. His occupations extended beyond elected office and military service; he also worked as an entrepreneur, reflecting a range of professional commitments that reached outside the political sphere.
The facts available do not specify a date or place of death, and Kerrey is recorded as an American citizen who used the English language throughout his public career. His path from Lincoln — through military service, the Nebraska statehouse, and entrepreneurial work — represents a life shaped by the particular institutions and landscape of the American Midwest, and by the demands of national service that took him well beyond its borders. His receipt of the Medal of Honor remains among the most concrete and defining markers of his record.
Quotes by Bob Kerrey
If you look beyond the short term violence and instability, you do see significant activities on the part of the Iraqi people that indicate they understand the commitment necessary to govern themselves. It's not clear how they will do it, but it never is.
The problem is you tend to look back and identify mistakes, and as a consequence of feeling terrible about mistakes you say you bungled this so bad, let’s get out of here.
But on the big things, I’m not going to trim in order to win public opinion. Because I really don’t want to serve in the Senate if I arrive there without permission to do the things I think need to be done.
Slow down, especially at the beginning of a speech. You’ll get the audience’s attention by pausing.
When you’re fighting for economic and social justice, you’re always fighting for the minority.
When I say be skeptical of everything I mean it. Just because someone was elected to do a job doesn’t mean that person has any idea of what they’re doing.
I thought dying for your country was the worst thing that could happen to you. I think killing for your country can be a lot worse. Because that’s the memory that haunts.