Ladda Tammy Duckworth was born in 1968, in Bangkok, Thailand, to Frank Duckworth and Lamai S., a native of Thailand. She has a brother, Tom. Her family moved around Southeast Asia due to her father's work with the United Nations and international companies, and she is fluent in both Thai and Indonesian. The family settled in Hawaii when she was 16. 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 degree in political science, and received a Master of Arts in international affairs from George Washington University. Duckworth was working towards a Ph.D. in political science at Northern Illinois University with research interests in the political economy and public health in southeast Asia when she deployed to Iraq in 2004. She also worked as a staff supervisor at Rotary International headquarters in Evanston, Illinois.  She is the the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. She has been nominated by President Barack Obama to become the Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Duckworth is an Iraq War veteran whose severe combat wounds cost her both of her legs and damaged her right arm. Duckworth lost the lower part of both legs 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.    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. She continues to serve as a Major in the Illinois Army National Guard along with her husband, Major Bryan W. Bowlsbey, a signal officer and fellow Iraq War veteran.   In the 2006 election, Duckworth was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives seat for the sixth district of Illinois which was being vacated by long-time Representative Henry Hyde. Duckworth lost to her opponent, Representative Peter Roskam, by 2% of the vote^. Duckworth, a supporter of the presidential election campaign of Barack Obama, was given a prime-time speaking slot on the third night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Upon Obama's election as president, Duckworth was considered a possible candidate to fill his vacated U.S. Senate seat, which ultimately went to Roland Burris Duckworth also had been considered a top contender to be named U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs before Obama's selection of retired General Eric Shinseki.     To learn more about this brave heroic Asian-American woman go to  http://www.duckworthforcongress.com

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/cbs-evening-news-cbs-evening-news-vets-first-time-at-the-dnc/3577352897  

Shes a hero and more than amazing! This.... is awesome.

A very special kind of woman, I wish her the best of luck!

Good post, some people give so much of themselves so that others can lead better life.

very brave and cool lady...i wish her the best!

Excellent post and great read SB!!! Tammy duckworth is an extremely admirable woman.

Very good read. I enjoyed this.