Tammy Duckworth Quotes

United States, Politician
March 12, 1968

Ladda Tammy Duckworth (born March 12, 1968) is an American politician and retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, serving as the junior United States Senator for Illinois since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she earlier represented Illinois's 8th district for two terms (2013–2017) in the United States House of Representatives. Before election to office, she served as Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (2009–2011), and she was the Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs (2006–2009). In the 2016 election, Duckworth defeated incumbent Republican Senator Mark Kirk for the seat in the United States Senate.

Also known as Helicopter Pilot

Like many moms in this country, I work to provide my child the best life she can have. It's tough. It's hard to take care of a sick baby all night, wake up tired, and have to go to work when all I want to do is spend time holding her.

Tammy Duckworth
- Life
- Up
- Time
When you're a member of Congress, you can become an expert in a couple of subjects. For example, I've worked on federal procurement reform, the Armed Services Committee, manufacturing, and women's health care.

Tammy Duckworth
- Women
- Health
- Care

I had been pursuing a Ph.D. in political science when my National Guard unit was sent to Iraq. Eight months into our deployment, in November 2004, a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents tore through the pilot's side of the Blackhawk helicopter I was flying.

Tammy Duckworth
- Science
- Political
- Flying
I actually shoot. I enjoy target practice. I find it really zen. You focus on nothing but the target. You have to control your breathing. It's all part of my years in the military, where I was taught to become a marksman but also to respect my weapon.

Tammy Duckworth
- Respect
- Control
- Focus
I do not have PTSD, but if I watch part of a movie like 'The Hurt Locker,' or when I spend time around Blackhawk helicopters, I will close my eyes that night and live an entire day in Iraq, flying my missions. I remember the smell and the feel and the heat and everything about it. Then I wake up in Illinois, and I'm exhausted.

Tammy Duckworth
- Up
- Time
- Live
The summer before I started college, my parents walked everywhere instead of taking the bus. Once a week, they would hand over $10 to the university housing office, a deposit so I could move into the dorms in the fall.

Tammy Duckworth
- Parents
- College
- Hand
Female service members are so integrated into the military, so critical and vital to all functions of the military, from combat service support to combat support, to direct combat, that we could not go to war as a nation - we could not defend America - without our women.

Tammy Duckworth
- Women
- America
- War
In the military, a combatant command is the ultimate job. It's the pointy tip of the spear, overseeing the people carrying the rifles and flying the aircraft.

Tammy Duckworth
- People
- Job
- Military