Senator Tammy Ladda Duckworth is an American politician and retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel serving as the junior United States senator from Illinois under the Democrats since 2017.
She has the honor to be the first disabled woman from Thailand elected to Congress. She was also a former member of the U.S. House of Reps, representing Illinois’s 8th District from 2013 to 2017.
Duckworth was born in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 12, 1968. She was born to an American dad and a Thai-Chinese mother. She relocated to Hawaii from Thailand with her family at 16.
Duckworth graduated from the University of Hawaii in 1989 with a B.A. in Political science. She got an M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University in 1992.
While at George Washington University, Senator Tammy Duckworth joined the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. She became a commissioned officer in 1992 and became a helicopter pilot. She worked as a supervisor at the Rotary International in Evanston, Illinois. She was also the coordinator for the Center for Nursing Research.
Duckworth earned a Ph.D. in Political science at Northern Illinois University. But, she was deployed to Iraq in 2004. While in Iraq, she lost both her legs when a rocket grenade hit her helicopter. She was decorated with a Purple Heart while at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. She retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2014.
Senator Tammy Duckworth started her career in American politics with a defeat while running for a seat at the U.S. House of Reps in 2006. In the same year, she got appointed as the Illinois Department of Veteran Affairs director till 2009. She was also appointed as the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs assistant secretary from 2009 to 2011.
In 2011, Duckworth launched a campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives seat. She won the Democratic nomination and was elected in 2012. She was re-elected in 2014.
In 2015, Duckworth announced her intentions to challenge senator Mark Kirk for a seat in the U.S. Senate. In 2016, Duckworth defeated Kirk by 54% to 40% and assumed office the following year. She is the first U.S. Senator from Thailand. She is also the first double amputee in the U.S. Senate.
You can find out more about the senator here.
Here’s our collection of the best Tammy Duckworth Quotes.
Table of Contents
Tammy Duckworth Quotes on Politics/Power
Running for Senate is a very involved process.
Tammy Duckworth
When I first ran, being a woman in politics was seen as both a negative and also a positive. You could attract more women voters, but on the other hand, a lot of men wouldn’t vote for you.
Tammy Duckworth
Life isn’t fair, and it isn’t the government’s job to make life fair. But if you’re not willing to give up on yourself, then we shouldn’t give up on you, either.
Tammy Duckworth
My strength is in finding ways to make the government work for the people: finding waste, or money that is not being properly used… or finding opportunities that are out there and making them work for the community.
Tammy Duckworth
In the Senate, you can become one of the nation’s leading voices on the issues.
Tammy Duckworth
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
Tammy Duckworth Quotes on Equality
It was the combination of hard work and a hand up that allowed me to become one of the first woman to fly in combat missions and achieve my American Dream.
Tammy Duckworth
When I joined the U.S. Army Reserve in 1992, there were no female four-star generals. I still remember the day in 2008 when a woman first achieved that rank.
Tammy Duckworth
Illinois’ economy will benefit from the modernization of the power sector.
Tammy Duckworth
Men view life to be as precious as women do, and to say that men have a more violent nature is insulting to men.
Tammy Duckworth
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?
Tammy Duckworth
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
The contributions of African Americans, Native Americans, and immigrants throughout our nation’s history are undeniable, but the tendency to overlook their gallant efforts is pervasive and persistent.
Tammy Duckworth
Sometimes it takes dealing with a disability – the trauma, the relearning, the months of rehabilitation therapy – to uncover our true abilities and how we can put them to work for us in ways we may have never imagined.
Tammy Duckworth
Tammy Duckworth Quotes on Society
As a nation, we need to do everything we can to make sure those who have served have the tools they need to succeed in civilian life.
Tammy Duckworth
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.
Tammy Duckworth
I know from personal experience that engaging with your community and helping others helps foster a sense of shared sacrifice and – at a time when our politics seem more focused on tearing us apart than bringing us together – that shared sacrifice will help us rekindle the national unity that has made us the strongest nation in the world.
Tammy Duckworth
We must be an inclusive nation that respects and supports all of its citizens: a nation that doesn’t give up on anyone who hasn’t given up on themselves.
Tammy Duckworth
Tammy Duckworth Quotes on Health Care
The ADA allows persons with disabilities the opportunity to participate in the world around them.
Tammy Duckworth
Student loans, Social Security, and Medicare make a difference in the lives of working families every day, and the conversation that should be taking place is how we can save these programs, not weaken them.
Tammy Duckworth
I have personally seen what a devastating medical condition can cost.
Tammy Duckworth
Tammy Duckworth Quotes on Security/Terrorism
I had 12 years in the Army before I ever faced combat.
Tammy Duckworth
Our soldiers show every single day that they are more than good enough.
Tammy Duckworth
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.
Tammy Duckworth
I love the Army with every bone in my body.
Tammy Duckworth
Veterans Day is a time to celebrate the men and women who have worn this nation’s uniform and to honor their service.
Tammy Duckworth
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.
Tammy Duckworth
What seems like comfort and security one day can all be taken away the very next.
Tammy Duckworth
We should have completed the fight in Afghanistan instead of starting a new war in Iraq.
Tammy Duckworth
Our military men and women are our greatest national treasure. They should be safeguarded as such upon their return.
Tammy Duckworth
Tammy Duckworth Quotes on Rights/Justice/Constitution
The women putting their lives at risk for our country deserve better than to be treated as second-class citizens.
Tammy Duckworth
We have an obligation to our men and women in uniform – and to future generations – to do something about the issue of climate change.
Tammy Duckworth
Other Tammy Duckworth Quotes
You fly. You aviate. You do everything you can to get the aircraft safely on the ground.
Tammy Duckworth
Southeast Asia was home for much of my childhood, but I moved to Hawaii when I was in high school.
Tammy Duckworth
I actually lost both my legs. I can walk because I got really good health care.
Tammy Duckworth
I was so proud when I was commissioned into the Army.
Tammy Duckworth
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.
Tammy Duckworth
The American Dream I believe in is one that provides anyone willing to work hard enough with the opportunity to succeed.
Tammy Duckworth
I always wanted to be an ambassador.
Tammy Duckworth
I don’t ever want to be sad about my life.
Tammy Duckworth
My therapist would be so happy to know I’m doing all this walking. They’ve done a great job of putting me back together, haven’t they?
Tammy Duckworth
Summary
I hope you have enjoyed our collection of some of the best Tammy Duckworth quotes!
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As a reminder, you can contact the senator here.
Stay strong!
