Tammy Duckworth
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"Ladda Tammy Duckworth" is an American politician who has been the United States House of Representatives/U.S. Representative for Illinois's 8th congressional district since 2013. A Democratic Party (United States)/Democrat, she is the first Asian American woman elected to Congress in Illinois, the first disabled woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first member of Congress born in Thailand.

Duckworth previously served as Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs from April 24, 2009 to June 30, 2011, and as the Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs from November 21, 2006 to February 8, 2009.

An Iraq War veteran, Duckworth served as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot and suffered severe combat wounds, losing both of her legs and damaging her right arm. She was the first female double amputee from the war. Having received a medical waiver, she continued to serve as a Lieutenant Colonel (United States)/Lieutenant Colonel in the Illinois Army National Guard along with her husband, Major Bryan W. Bowlsbey, a Signal Corps (United States Army)/signal officer and fellow Iraq War veteran. Duckworth retired from the army in October 2014, and was reelected to Congress in November.

More Tammy Duckworth on Wikipedia.

My therapist would be so happy to know I'm doing all this walking. They've done a great job of putting me back together, haven't they?

I spent a lot of time between bars like this.

We broke it, we got to fix it.

My quality of life wouldn't be near what it is now. I wouldn't be walking.

My arm bones looked like chicken bones.

My experience in Iraq made me realize, and during the recovery, that I could have died. And I just had to do more with my life.