Tammy Duckworth
Committed to Serving Country and Community
L. Tammy Duckworth of Hoffman Estates has built her life and career upon serving
her country, her community and those in need around the world. She is a dedicated,
tireless leader and an inspirational example of what can be achieved through hard
work, determination, compassion for others and a positive outlook. Having recently
recovered from serious injuries sustained while serving on active duty in Iraq,
Tammy's next goal – in addition to flying helicopters again for the Illinois Army
National Guard – is to fight for the interests of the people of Illinois' Sixth
District in the United States Congress.
"As a Soldier, I fought for my country. And I'm running for Congress to fight
for my country, too, because I think we really need to change course. We need to
face up to our tough challenges when it comes to creating jobs, providing a quality
education for our kids and making affordable health care accessible to all," Tammy
says. "And 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.
I'm ready to go to Washington to provide new leadership and face up to the tough choices
that confront us."
On November 12, 2004, Tammy was co-piloting a Black Hawk helicopter north of Baghdad
when a rocket-propelled grenade struck the cockpit of her aircraft and exploded. Focused
on the safety of her crew, Tammy was determined to land the helicopter not realizing she
had been severely injured and that the other pilot was already at the controls. It wasn't
until the helicopter landed that she passed out. Ten days later, when she woke up at Walter
Reed Memorial Hospital in Maryland, she learned that the explosion would cost her both legs
and had shattered her right arm. It has been a long road to recovery, but Tammy is optimistic
and determined to serve her country in a new way. Dedicated, strong-willed and always the
optimist, Tammy kept busy during her recovery despite her injuries and rigorous rehabilitation
schedule. She spoke to veterans' groups, attended the 2005 State of the Union address and
testified twice before Congress urging that more be done to ensure soldiers continue to
receive the same high level of medical care as they move from military to veteran status.
While Tammy was recuperating at Walter Reed, more than 30 volunteers rehabbed her
Hoffman Estates home to be completely wheelchair-accessible. Members of her National
Guard unit, fellow employees at Rotary International and friends from the community
pitched in. When able to travel again, she returned home with her husband, Army National
Guard Captain Bryan Bowlsbey. She began talking with friends in the Sixth District about
issues facing the community and country. With their encouragement, she decided to continue
to serve her country by running for Congress. Career and Education At the time of her
deployment to Iraq, Tammy was working as a staff supervisor at the worldwide headquarters
of Rotary International, in Evanston. She was invigorated by her work in establishing new
Rotary clubs to do much-needed community service projects in countries such as East Timor
and Afghanistan. She also helped American and Middle Eastern Rotary clubs send wheelchairs
to Iraq. Tammy received her bachelor's degree in political science from the University of
Hawaii and her master's degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University
in Washington, D.C. She was working on a doctorate in political science at Northern Illinois
University in DeKalb when deployed to Iraq. Her research focused on political economies of Southeast
Asia and the region's public health systems. She is a published author, with papers and textbook
contributions on the link between environmental health hazards and cancer.
Tammy was born in Thailand and grew up in several countries in Southeast Asia
where her father, Franklin Duckworth, worked for the United Nations
and international companies. Tammy's mother, Lamai Sompornpairin,
was a native of Thailand. Tammy has one brother, Tom. At the age
of 16, Tammy and her family moved to Hawaii where she finished high
school and attended college. Tammy followed a long family tradition,
going back to the Revolutionary War, of serving in the military.
Her late father fought as a U.S. Marine in World War II and Vietnam.
She joined ROTC in 1990 as a graduate student in Washington, D.C.
and was commissioned to the Army Reserve in 1992 in Illinois. She
decided to become a helicopter pilot because it was one of the only
combat jobs available to women. Tammy holds the rank of Major in
the Illinois Army National Guard.
Go to DuckworthForCongress.com
|
