Duckworth, Tammy

Ladda Tammy Duckworth became Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs in April 2009. Her responsibilities in this position include departmental [Page 431]communications and overseeing programs relating to intergovernmental relations, homeless veterans, consumer affairs, and national rehabilitative special event programs.

An Iraq War veteran, Duckworth achieved the rank of Major in the Illinois National Guard, and is a former Army Aviator whose Black Hawk helicopter was hit by an Iraqi rocket propelled grenade in 2004. As a result of that insurgent attack, she is a double amputee who lost both legs and sustained severe injury to her right arm.

Duckworth was born in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1968. She comes from a military family. Her father was a U.S. Marine who fought in Vietnam. Her spouse Army National Guard Major Bryan Bowlsbey is a signal officer and an Iraq War veteran. During her formative years, Duckworth's father's career at the United Nations and in international companies meant a series of family moves including a move to Hawaii when Duckworth was 16. After high school, she earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaii and a master's degree in international affairs from George Washington University. Duckworth was working on a Ph.D. in political science at Northern Illinois University when she was deployed to Iraq in 2004.

After a yearlong recovery from her war injuries in the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and acclimation to prosthetic limbs, Duckworth continued her life of public service. In 2006, she ran for an open U.S. House of Representatives seat in the 6th District of Illinois. Her issue positions included support for healthcare reform, immigration reform, gun control, and abortion rights. She expressed opposition to the entry and conduct of the Iraq War, and was critical of the No Child Left Behind Act. After winning a competitive Democratic primary and a wide range of endorsements, Duckworth lost a close general election race to her Republican opponent, Peter Roskam. In 2006, Duckworth was appointed Director of the Illinois Department of Veteran Affairs. In that position, she spearheaded development of state programs granting tax credits to private employers who hire veterans, and increased state grants to service organizations.

Among her awards and commendations, Duckworth is a recipient of the Purple Heart, an Air Medal, an Army Commendation Medal, and a 2007 Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award. She was also named the 2008 Disabled Veteran of the Year by the Disabled American Veterans, and selected as an American Veterans Silver Helmet award recipient in 2009.

Duckworth, who is now fully mobile, skis, swims, scuba dives, cycles, and flies. In fall 2008, she completed the Chicago Marathon in two hours and 26 minutes on a specially equipped bicycle. She declined a medical retirement from the Illinois National Guard and continues her service to this day.