Ladda Tammy Duckworth [3] (born March 12, 1968) is an American politician and retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel serving as the junior United States senator from Illinois since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented Illinois's 8th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017.

Mar 30, 2021 · In an exclusive excerpt from her new book, the U.S. senator from Illinois recounts the dramatic downing of her helicopter in Iraq — and the early stages of recovery from her devastating...

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran, Purple Heart recipient and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who was among the first handful of Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Jun 23, 2017 · Ladda Tammy Duckworth is the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress in Illinois, the first disabled woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first member of...

After earning her master’s degree, Duckworth began a Ph.D. program at Northern Illinois University and continued serving in the Reserve Forces, interrupting her studies to become one of the first handful of women in the Army to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Jan 17, 2025 · Duckworth eventually became a member of the National Guard, training as a helicopter pilot. While working on a doctorate at Northern Illinois University, she was called to active duty and sent to Iraq in 2004.

May 7, 2024 · Illinois' Tammy Duckworth became the first disabled female veteran to earn election to the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as the second female Asian American senator.

Senator Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War veteran, Purple Heart recipient, and former Assistant Secretary of the Department of Veterans Af airs (VA). She was among the fi rst Army women to fl y combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran, Purple Heart recipient and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who was among the first handful of Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Retired Army Lt Col. Ladda "Tammy" Duckworth deployed to Iraq in 2004 as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot for the Illinois Army National Guard. On Nov. 12, 2004, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) hit her helicopter and she lost her legs and partial use of her right arm.