Tammy Duckworth Was The First Of Many Things
Photo Credits: Alex Wong/Getty Images
In November 2004, Tammy Duckworth was piloting a Black Hawk helicopter going back and forth between Baghdad and U.S. military bases. At one point, their Black Hawk was hit by an RPG which ended up destroying both of her legs. She ended up having her right leg amputated below her hip bone and her left below her knee.
She became the first female double-amputee of the war. After her career in the military, she shifted her ambitions and became the first female amputee to be elected to Congress. She was also the first Asian-American to represent Illinois, the first member of Congress to be born in Thailand, and the first US senator to give birth while in office. She stated, “I’m not about to let some guy who got lucky with an RPG decide how to live my life.”
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