Duckworth announces military retirement
Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, who lost both legs when the Blackhawk helicopter she was piloting was shot down during combat operations in Iraq, has announced her retirement from the military.
The announcement is on the heels of the 46-year-old announcing last month she is pregnant with her first child, expected in December.
Duckworth, a Democrat from Hoffman Estates, is seeking a second term against Republican Larry Kaifesh of Carpentersville in the Nov. 4 election.
Duckworth retires with 23 years of military service after being commissioned in 1992 in the Army Reserves, according to a news release. She joined the Illinois Army National Guard in 1996 and voluntarily deployed to Iraq in 2004.
On Nov. 12, 2004, Duckworth's helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade while on a mission. She lost both leg and partial use of her right arm in the explosion and received a Purple Heart.
Following her recovery, Duckworth remained active in military service, working in a tactical operations center.
Additionally, she began running for public office. Unsuccessful during her first congressional bid, she was appointed by former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to oversee the state's Department of Veterans Affairs. She resigned that post in 2009 to take a federal veterans affairs position and then ran in 2012 for a congressional seat against one-term Republican incumbent Joe Walsh, whom she defeated.