Tammy Duckworth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tammy Duckworth
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Official portrait, 2017
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| United States Senator from Illinois |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2017 Serving with Dick Durbin
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| Preceded by | Mark Kirk |
| Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee | |
| In office January 21, 2021 – February 1, 2025 Serving with Ken Martin, Gretchen Whitmer and Henry R. Muñoz III
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| Chair | Jaime Harrison |
| Preceded by | Grace Meng |
| Succeeded by | Various |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 8th district |
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| In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Joe Walsh |
| Succeeded by | Raja Krishnamoorthi |
| Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs |
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| In office April 24, 2009 – June 30, 2011 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Lisette M. Mondello |
| Succeeded by | Michael Galloucis |
| Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs | |
| In office November 21, 2006 – February 8, 2009 |
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| Governor | |
| Preceded by | Roy Dolgos |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Grant |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Ladda Tammy Duckworth
March 12, 1968 Bangkok, Thailand |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Bryan Bowlsbey
(m. 1993) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education |
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| Signature |  |
| Website | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
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| Years of service |
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| Rank | Lieutenant colonel |
| Unit |
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| Battles/wars | Iraq War (WIA) |
| Awards |
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Ladda Tammy Duckworth (born March 12, 1968) is an American politician and a retired Army Reserve officer. Since 2017, she has served as a U.S. Senator for Illinois. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming a senator, she was a U.S. Representative for Illinois's 8th district from 2013 to 2017.
Tammy Duckworth was born in Bangkok, Thailand, and grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii. She studied at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and George Washington University. In 1992, she joined the United States Army Reserve. She became a helicopter pilot in the Iraq War. In 2004, her helicopter was hit by a rocket. She lost both of her legs and had injuries to her arm. She was the first female soldier to lose both legs in the Iraq War. Even with her injuries, she continued to serve in the Illinois Army National Guard for ten more years. She retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2014.
After her military service, Duckworth worked in government. She was the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs from 2006 to 2009. Then, she became an Assistant Secretary for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs from 2009 to 2011. In 2012, she was elected to the United States House of Representatives. She served two terms there. In 2016, she was elected to the United States Senate, defeating the Republican Mark Kirk.
Tammy Duckworth has achieved many "firsts." She is the first Thai American woman elected to Congress. She is also the first person born in Thailand elected to Congress. She is the first woman with a disability elected to Congress. She is the first female double amputee in the Senate. She is also the first senator to give birth while in office. She serves on important Senate committees, including Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs.
Early Life and Education
Tammy Duckworth was born on March 12, 1968, in Bangkok, Thailand. Her father, Franklin Duckworth, was American and a veteran of the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps. Her mother, Lamai Sompornpairin, is Thai Chinese. Her father worked for the United Nations and other international groups. His work involved helping refugees and developing housing.
Because of her father's job, her family moved around Southeast Asia. Tammy learned to speak Thai and Indonesian, as well as English. She went to schools in Singapore, Bangkok, and Jakarta that followed an American curriculum. When she was 16, her family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. She went to McKinley High School and graduated in 1985. She was a Girl Scout and earned her First Class (Gold Award). Her family sometimes needed public assistance when her father was unemployed.
In 1989, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In 1992, she received a Master of Arts degree in international affairs from George Washington University. Later, she started a PhD program at Northern Illinois University. She was studying public health and politics in Southeast Asia. Her studies were paused when she went to war. In 2015, she completed her PhD in human services from Capella University.
Military Service and Injuries
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Tammy Duckworth followed her father's path into the military. Her ancestors had also served in many wars since the Revolutionary War. In 1990, she joined the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) while in graduate school. She became an officer in the United States Army Reserve in 1992. She chose to fly helicopters because it was one of the few combat jobs open to women then. She later transferred to the Army National Guard in Illinois in 1996.
In 2004, she was sent to Iraq. On November 12, 2004, the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter she was co-piloting was hit. It was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents. She lost her right leg near her hip and her left leg below the knee. She was the first American woman to lose both legs in the Iraq War. The explosion also badly broke her right arm.
On December 3, she received a Purple Heart medal. She was promoted to major on December 21 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. There, she also received an Air Medal and an Army Commendation Medal. She retired from the Illinois Army National Guard in October 2014 as a lieutenant colonel.
In 2011, a statue honoring female veterans was put up in Mount Vernon, Illinois. It features Tammy Duckworth and Molly Pitcher. In 2019, Duckworth shared her story for a project about military women aviators.
Government Service and Elections
After her first attempt to run for Congress in 2006, Duckworth was appointed director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. She held this position from November 2006 to February 2009. During this time, she helped start programs for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and brain injuries.
In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Duckworth for a role in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). She became the Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. In this role, she worked to end homelessness among veterans. She also helped address challenges faced by female and Native American veterans. She resigned in June 2011 to run for the U.S. House of Representatives.
U.S. House of Representatives
In 2012, Tammy Duckworth ran for the United States House of Representatives in Illinois's 8th district. She won the Democratic nomination. She then faced the Republican incumbent, Joe Walsh, in the general election. Walsh made comments that were seen as criticizing her military service. Duckworth won the election, becoming the first Asian-American from Illinois in Congress. She was also the first woman with a disability elected to Congress.
She was sworn into office on January 3, 2013. In 2014, she was reelected, defeating Republican Larry Kaifesh. During her time in the House, she returned part of her salary to show support for government workers who were not being paid. She also questioned a large government contract given to a company based on the owner's disabled veteran status.
U.S. Senate
In March 2015, Duckworth announced she would run for the U.S. Senate against Republican Mark Kirk. She won the Democratic primary in March 2016. During a debate, Kirk made a comment about her family's background that was seen as offensive. Duckworth was endorsed by President Barack Obama.
On November 8, 2016, Duckworth defeated Kirk. She became one of the first two female Asian American senators, along with Kamala Harris. In March 2021, Duckworth announced she would run for reelection in 2022. She won her reelection on November 8, 2022, defeating Kathy Salvi. This made her the first woman reelected to the Senate from Illinois.
Key Actions and Positions
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As a senator, Duckworth has been very effective in her work. She has sponsored many bills, and some have become law. She is known for her work on transportation policy.
In 2018, Tammy Duckworth made history by becoming the first U.S. senator to give birth while in office. She then helped change Senate rules. The new rule allows senators to bring a child under one year old onto the Senate floor during votes. The day after the rule changed, her daughter became the first baby on the Senate floor.
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Duckworth has been a strong voice on many issues. In 2018, when the government shut down, she criticized President Trump. She said he did not care about the military. She also spoke out against his choice for the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett.
In January 2021, Duckworth was at the U.S. Capitol when it was stormed by supporters of President Trump. She called Trump "a threat to our nation." She also called for his removal from office. In June 2022, President Biden sent Duckworth to Taiwan. She met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to discuss trade.
Duckworth has worked to improve reporting on complaints from disabled airline passengers. She also sponsored a bill to help public safety officers who suffer from brain injuries or PTSD.
Political Views
Tammy Duckworth supports efforts to protect the environment. She has advocated for funding to capture carbon emissions. She was part of a Senate committee that studied the climate crisis.
She supports continued U.S. military aid to Israel. She opposes the movement to boycott Israel. She also opposes Israel's plan to annex parts of the West Bank. In 2019, she supported a bill to challenge China's claims in the South China Sea. In June 2021, she visited Taipei to announce a U.S. donation of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan.
Duckworth is a gun owner herself, but she supports gun control. She believes in universal background checks for gun purchases. She also supports stopping guns from being trafficked between states. She wants a national ban on assault weapons. She participated in a protest in Congress to push for gun control laws. Duckworth also supported the Affordable Care Act, which is a healthcare law.
She supports immigration reform. She believes in a path to citizenship for people living in the country without legal permission. She also supported admitting 100,000 Syrian refugees into the United States.
Awards and Personal Life
In May 2010, Northern Illinois University gave Tammy Duckworth an honorary degree. In 2011, she was honored for her work helping veterans with disabilities. She has received many military honors for her service in Iraq. These include the Purple Heart, Air Medal, and Army Commendation Medal. In 2010, she was added to the Army Women's Hall of Fame.
Former U.S. Senator Bob Dole dedicated part of his autobiography to Duckworth. She says Dole inspired her to work in public service after her injuries.
Tammy Duckworth has been married to Bryan Bowlsbey since 1993. They met while in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. He is also a veteran of the Iraq War. They both have retired from the military. They have two daughters, Abigail (born in 2014) and Maile (born in 2018). Maile's birth made Duckworth the first U.S. senator to give birth while in office. Duckworth helped create the Intrepid Foundation to support injured veterans.
Military Awards and Decorations
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Lt. Col. Tammy Duckworth earned the following decorations and awards during her US Army career:
- Army Aviator Badge
- Purple Heart medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal
- Army Commendation Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster, US Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with four bronze oak leaf clusters
- National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
- Armed Forces Reserve Medal with bronze hourglass device and Mobilization M, Army Service Ribbon and Army Reserve Overseas Training Ribbon with 2 device
See also
In Spanish: Tammy Duckworth para niños
- List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress
- List of United States senators born outside the United States
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
- Women in the United States Senate
