Tammy Duckworth Ladda Tammy Duckworth ( born March 12 , 1968 ) is an American politician who has been the U . S . Representative for Illinois ' s 8th congressional district since 2013 . A Democrat , she 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 Congress born in Thailand . Duckworth previously served as Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs from April 24 , 2009 to June 30 , 2011 , and as the Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs from November 21 , 2006 to February 8 , 2009 . An Iraq War veteran , Duckworth served as a U . S . Army helicopter pilot and suffered severe combat wounds , losing both of her legs and damaging her right arm . She was the first female double amputee from the war . She continues to serve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Illinois Army National Guard along with her husband , Major Bryan W . Bowlsbey , a signal officer and fellow Iraq War veteran . Early life , education , and military service . Tammy Duckworth was born in Bangkok , Thailand , to Frank and Lamai Duckworth . Her American father , who died in 2005 , was a U . S . Marine Corps veteran who traced his family ' s roots in America back to before the Revolutionary War ; her mother , a native of Thailand , is of Chinese ancestry . Because of her father ' s work with the United Nations and international companies , the family moved around Southeast Asia . Duckworth became fluent in Thai and Indonesian , in addition to English . The family settled in Hawaii when she was sixteen . Duckworth attended Singapore American School , and for a few months in her senior year was at the International School Bangkok , from which former Secretary of the Treasury , Timothy Geithner also graduated . She graduated with honors from McKinley High School in 1985 , after skipping the ninth grade . She graduated from the University of Hawaii in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science , and received a Master of Arts in international affairs from George Washington University . Following in the footsteps of her father and ancestors , who served in the Revolutionary War , World War II , and the Vietnam War , Duckworth joined the Army Reserve Officers ' Training Corps as a graduate student at George Washington University in 1990 . She became a commissioned officer in the United States Army Reserve in 1992 and chose to fly helicopter s because it was one of the few combat jobs open to women . As a member of the Army Reserve , she went to flight school and entered in the Illinois Army National Guard in 1996 . Duckworth was working towards a PhD in political science at Northern Illinois University , with research interests in the political economy and public health in southeast Asia , when she was deployed to Iraq in 2004 . She lost her right leg near the hip and her left leg below the knee from injuries sustained on November 12 , 2004 , when the UH - 60 Black Hawk helicopter she was co - piloting was hit by a rocket propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents . She is the first female double amputee from the Iraq war . The explosion " almost completely destroyed her right arm , breaking it in three places and tearing tissue from the back side of it . " Duckworth received a Purple Heart on December 3 and was promoted to Major on December 21 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center , where she was presented with an Air Medal and Army Commendation Medal . Duckworth also worked as a staff supervisor at Rotary International headquarters in Evanston , Illinois . Post - military career . Duckworth was fitted for prosthetics and is now fully mobile . She helped establish the " Intrepid Foundation " and is involved in its fundraising to build a rehabilitation center for other injured veterans . Government service . Duckworth was appointed Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs by Governor Rod Blagojevich from November 21 , 2006 to February 8 , 2009 . She was honored by Chicago ' s Access Living for " her extraordinary commitment to veterans with disabilities " . On September 17 , 2008 , Duckworth attended a campaign event for Dan Seals , the Democratic candidate for Illinois ' s 10th congressional district . Duckworth used vacation time to avoid any appearance of impropriety , but violated Illinois law by going to the event in a state - owned van which was equipped for a person with physical disabilities . She promptly acknowledged the mistake and repaid the state for the use of the van . On February 3 , 2009 , Duckworth was nominated to be the Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs . The United States Senate confirmed her for the position on April 22 . On June 30 , 2011 , Duckworth resigned from her position to launch her campaign for the U . S . House of Representatives in Illinois ' 8th Congressional District . Recognition . Former Republican Presidential candidate and Senator Bob Dole dedicated his biography " One Soldier ' s Story " in part to Duckworth . Duckworth credits Dole for inspiring her to pursue public service while she recuperated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington , D . C . However , in her 2006 campaign for Congress , Dole endorsed Duckworth ' s Republican opponent . In 2007 , Duckworth was honored by the non - profit group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America with the " Veterans Leadership Award " , in recognition of her dedication to the nation ' s newest generation of veterans . In May 2010 , Duckworth was awarded an honorary doctorate by Northern Illinois University . Duckworth was a speaker on the third night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention , and on the first night of the 2012 Democratic National Convention . On June 26 , 2013 , during a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee , Duckworth received national media attention after questioning Strong Castle CEO Braulio Castillo on a $ 500 million government contracts the company had been awarded based on Castillo ' s disabled veteran status . U . S . House of Representatives . Elections . After long - time incumbent Republican Henry Hyde announced his retirement from Congress , several candidates began campaigning for the office . Duckworth won the Democratic primary with a plurality of 44 % , defeating 2004 nominee Christine Cegelis with 40 % , and Wheaton College professor Lindy Scott with 16 % . In the Republican primary , Illinois Senator Peter Roskam ran unopposed . While she raised over $ 1 million more than Roskam , on November 7 Duckworth lost by only 4 , 810 votes , with 49 % to Roskam ' s 51 % . In July 2011 , Duckworth launched her campaign to run in 2012 for Illinois ' s 8th congressional district . Duckworth defeated former Deputy Treasurer of Illinois Raja Krishnamoorthi for the Democratic nomination on March 20 , 2012 , then faced incumbent Republican Joe Walsh in the general election . Duckworth received the endorsement of both the " Chicago Tribune " and the Daily Herald . Walsh generated controversy when at a July 2012 campaign event , Walsh accused Duckworth of politicizing her military service and injuries , saying " my God , that ' s all she talks about . Our true heroes , the men and women who served us , it ' s the last thing in the world they talk about , " and faced significant backlash for the comments . On November 6 , 2012 , Tammy Duckworth defeated Walsh 55 % – 45 % . She is the first disabled woman to be elected to the U . S . House of Representatives , and the first member of Congress born in Thailand . Tenure . Duckworth was sworn into office on January 3 , 2013 . On April 3 , 2013 , Duckworth publicly returned 8 . 4 % of her Congressional salary for that month to the United States Department of Treasury in solidarity with furloughed government workers . Duckworth released the news via a tweet of her check . She joined President Barack Obama , Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter . Political positions . Veteran affairs . At the AmVets ' National Symposium for the Needs of Young Veteran s in 2012 , Duckworth called for improvements in veterans health care . She called for mandatory funding of veterans ' health care , rather than discretionary funding that could change with political winds ; she also wants improvements in transition assistance for those returning to civilian life , particularly for those with disabilities . Duckworth also wanted the Department of Veterans Affairs to hire more veterans as doctors and nurses because they understand what combat veterans face , and she wants the VA to prepare for the possibility of severe respiratory problems in the future for Iraq war veterans . Abortion . According to " The Washington Post " , Duckworth believes that abortion and end - of - life decisions are private matters and should not be subject to federal restriction . During her 2006 campaign for U . S . Congress , Duckworth was endorsed by EMILY ' s List . Education . On August 23 , 2006 , Duckworth was endorsed by the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers . In accepting the endorsements , Duckworth criticized the Bush administration ' s education policy of No Child Left Behind Act . Iraq War . Duckworth was critical of the administration of President George W . Bush for its provision of veterans ' care , and was chosen by the Democratic Party to give the September 30 , 2006 , response to President Bush ' s weekly radio address . Duckworth ' s strategic recommendations included requesting an immediate accounting by the U . S . Secretary of Defense of the readiness level and the training of the Iraqi forces , followed by aggressive benchmarks for progress and redeployment of U . S . troops linked to the stand - up of Iraqi troops , saying the U . S . should proceed by standing - down a defined number of U . S . units for every Iraqi battalion that can be properly trained and certified as combat - ready . In 2006 , " The Sunday Times " reported that Duckworth agreed with General Sir Richard Dannatt , the British Army chief , that the presence of coalition troops was exacerbating the conflict : " We ' re attracting more people to terrorism than ever before . We really need to think about drawing down , " she told " The Sunday Times " . " I want the Secretary of Defense to come before Congress and tell us how many Iraqis are fully trained . If two guys can do traffic control in Kirkuk , I want to bring two Americans home . " When asked whether she would like to see Bush impeached , Duckworth said that Congress had " far more pressing issues to deal with . " Defense spending . In August 2006 , Duckworth called on Congress to audit the estimated $ 437 billion spent on overseas military and foreign aid since September 11 , 2001 . She said , " Real and meaningful oversight has taken a back seat to partisan inaction . With the right kind of leadership Congress can bring greater fiscal discipline and accountability to the billions of dollars we are spending on our military efforts . " Gun control . On October 10 , 2006 , Duckworth was endorsed by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence . The endorsement was announced in a joint appearance with the Fraternal Order of Police , who had also endorsed Duckworth . At the press conference in Lombard , Illinois , Duckworth referred to the recent school shootings and criticized her opponent ' s opposition to renewing a Federal ban on semi - automatic firearms , which expired in 2004 . Duckworth claimed , " Basically , whatever the NRA wants , Peter Roskam will vote for it . " Duckworth also supported the Brady Law , which requires background check s for gun purchases from federally licensed firearm dealers .