Captain Tammy Duckworth of Illinois
- District: Illinois, 6th District
- Party: Democrat
- Military service: Illinois National Guard – Iraq War Veteran
Captain Tammy Duckworth was flying a Black Hawk helicopter north of Baghdad in 2004 when a rocket-propelled grenade struck the cockpit. Somehow she helped land the helicopter and save the rest of the crew. Ten days later she woke to find both of her legs had been amputated and her right arm was shattered. Captain Duckworth says, “When it comes to making decisions about sending our young people to war, we need strong voices in Congress who understand the consequences of those decisions.” When challenged about her own party’s policies, Duckworth defends, “As a veteran I’m willing to ask the tough questions to both parties. My allegiance lies with my fellow soldiers in Iraq. I want to know why Halliburton gets contracts to supply 12 different flavors of ice cream while I had to tell my soldiers in Iraq to escort their supply convoys without armor.”
Eloquent and determined, Duckworth early on garnered the support and encouragement of National Democrats like Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to make a run for Congress. However, like the others in the Band of Brothers, she faces a tough uphill race to win a seat in Illinois’ conservative 6th district.
