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Tammy DuckworthAmerican military servicewoman and politician, U.S. Senator from Illinois since January 3, 2017.
Date of Birth: 12.03.1968
Country:  Thailand |
Content:
- Tammy Duckworth: American Hero and Politician
- Military Career
- Post-Military Advocacy
- Political Career
- Personal Life
Tammy Duckworth: American Hero and Politician
Early Life and EducationTammy Duckworth was born in Bangkok, Thailand, to Frank Duckworth, a former Marine who became a diplomat, and Lamai Sompornpairin. She graduated from President McKinley High School in Honolulu in 1985, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1989, and a Master of Arts degree from George Washington University in 1992. Initially planning a diplomatic career, she joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps to gain experience in the military.
Military Career
Commissioned into the Army Reserve in 1992, Duckworth trained as a helicopter pilot at Fort Rucker, Alabama, in 1993. She deployed to Iraq with the Illinois National Guard in 2003. On November 12, 2004, her UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was shot down during the Battle of Fallujah, resulting in severe injuries that led to the amputation of both her legs.
Post-Military Advocacy
After receiving the Purple Heart, Air Medal, and Army Commendation Medal, Duckworth played a key role in establishing the Intrepid Foundation, which provides rehabilitation services for veterans.
Political Career
Duckworth unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006. She served as Illinois Director of the Department of Veterans' Affairs from 2006 to 2009 and as Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 2009 to 2011. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012, she served from 2013 to 2017. In 2015, she earned a Ph.D. from Capella University, a for-profit online school, but later criticized for-profit colleges as being "predatory."
In 2016, Duckworth won election to the U.S. Senate, defeating Republican incumbent Mark Kirk and giving Democrats both Senate seats from Illinois.
Personal Life
Duckworth has been married to Major Bryan W. Bowlsbey of the National Guard since 1993. She gave birth to her first daughter, Abigail O'Kalani Bowlsbey, in 2014, and her second daughter, Maile Pearl Bowlsbey, in 2018.
