A biography for Tammy Duckworthhasn’t been written yet.
“How can you have an educated workforce, how do you equal the economic disparities in this country, if you can't make college more affordable for those who are struggling to make it?”
“I believe accurately remembering - and honoring - our whole past is the first step in governing in a way that effectively represents the whole America.”
“Had I been injured on the freeway and not in combat, it is likely that I would be bankrupt even though I had medical insurance through my civilian employer.”
“I shouldn't even be here, so if I'm here, I better do something good.”
“It was the combination of hard work and a hand up that allowed me to become one of the first women to fly in combat missions and achieve my American Dream.”
“My experience in Iraq made me realize, and during the recovery, that I could have died. And I just had to do more with my life.”
“The ADA is the living testament to our Nation's commitment that we will always stand up for our neighbors' right to live fulfilling lives.”
“Nobody wants to be on food stamps, but when my family lost everything, we were grateful for it. I was grateful the program was there so I could concentrate on my schoolwork and not on my empty belly. We were grateful that we had the support we needed to roll up our sleeves and rebuild our lives.”
“When I got to Iraq, my world focused in on one mission. It was incredibly rewarding.”
“I spent a lot of time between bars like this.”
“Our soldiers show every single day that they are more than good enough.”
“I actually lost both my legs. I can walk because I got really good health care.”
“I didn't want to get pregnant while commanding an assault helicopter company and, before I knew it, I was deployed and missed out on many of my childbearing years.”
“I was born in Bangkok in 1968 and grew up in Southeast Asia with my Thai mom and my American father, who first came to the region to fight in Vietnam and stayed to work assisting refugees.”
“I'm going to find solutions wherever I can. I think it's all a priority. You can't just say, 'OK, I'm going to work on this but not that.' You have to work on all of it.”
“If you come from a military culture, and you go into see the general or the commander, and he talks to you very calmly and says, 'I'm very disappointed in you,' that's devastating.”
“One of the good things about losing your feet is I can wear all the pointy shoes I want, and it doesn't hurt anymore. I can wear shoes just for fashion now.”
“As an assistant operations officer for a helicopter task force in Iraq, I saw my fellow Guardsmen and soldiers risk life and limb to maintain diesel fuel supply lines.”
“I did not know I was a Midwesterner until I got there. I just fell in love with the people.”
“Each and every time I went in for IVF treatments, I knew there was a bipartisan group of Congresswomen praying for me, and I was honored that the same group was there at my baby shower.”