Transcript
from Politico
and provided below.
My
name is Tammy Duckworth. I'm running to serve Illinois' 8th Congressional
District. My father served in the Army and the Marine Corps. A Vietnam vet, his
family has worn our nation's uniform since the American Revolution. My husband
is an Army officer. My brother saved lives in the Coast Guard. My mom is Thai
and Chinese. She proudly became a citizen in her fifties.
Dad's
work took us all over the world until he lost his job. It was a tough time. We
used up our savings, moved into a studio apartment. But our family did the
responsible thing and rolled up our sleeves. Mom took in sewing.
My
55-year-old dad tried to find work. But at 15, I was the only one with a
job—after school, for minimum wage. Thank God for the food stamps, public
education and Pell grants that helped me finish high school and college.
In
time, we pulled through. With this start, I was able to earn my own commission
as an Army officer. I became an assault helicopter pilot, working my way up to
command a Blackhawk helicopter company. In 2003, my National Guard unit was
mobilized, and I became one of the first Army women to fly combat missions in
Iraq.
Almost
a year into my tour I was wounded, and recovered at Walter Reed with other
wounded warriors. Some of us had obvious injuries. Others had scars on the
inside that were less visible, but no less real. At the hospital, I realized my
new responsibility: to honor the buddies who saved me by serving our military
men and women. I became director of the Illinois Department of Veterans
Affairs. We led the nation in screening for traumatic brain injury and
post-traumatic stress, and we created a tax credit for Illinois businesses that
hire veterans.
Then
President Obama asked me to help keep our sacred trust with veterans of all
eras at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. We worked to end the outrage
of vets having to sleep on the same streets they once defended. We improved
services for female veterans. I reached out to young vets by creating the Office
for Online Communications.
Barack
Obama has also lived up to his responsibilities as commander-in-chief, ending
the war in Iraq, refocusing on Afghanistan and eradicating terrorist leaders
including bin Laden. President Obama pushed for fairness in the military,
listening to commanders as we ended "don't ask, don't tell," and on
how to allow women to officially serve in more combat jobs—because America's
daughters are just as capable of defending liberty as her sons.
When
it comes to our men and women in harm's way, we have a clear choice on November
6th. Last week, Mitt Romney had a chance to show his support for the brave men
and women he is seeking to command. But he chose to criticize President Obama
instead of even uttering the word "Afghanistan."
Barack
Obama will never ignore our troops. He will fight for them. That's why he is my
choice on November 6th. My choice is to do what my family did when times were
hard: roll up our sleeves and get to work. My choice is to do what my crew did
for me in a dusty field in Iraq.
On
November 12th, 2004, I was co-piloting my Blackhawk north of Baghdad when we
started taking enemy fire. A rocket-propelled grenade hit our helicopter,
exploding in my lap, ripping off one leg, crushing the other and tearing my
right arm apart. But I kept trying to fly until I passed out. In that moment,
my survival and the survival of my entire crew depended on all of us pulling
together. And even though they were wounded themselves and insurgents were nearby,
they refused to leave a fallen comrade behind. Their heroism is why I'm alive
today.
Ultimately,
that's what this election is about. Yes, it's about the issues that matter to
us: building an economy that will create jobs here at home and out-compete
countries around the world. But it's also about something else. It's about
whether we will do for our fellow Americans what my crew did for me; whether
we'll look out for the hardest hit and the disabled; whether we'll pull
together in a time of need; whether we'll refuse to give up until the job is
done.
So
let's finish what we started. Let's keep moving forward with Barack Obama.
Let's do what this country has always done: look adversity in the eye and work
together to overcome it. God bless our military and their families, and God
bless America.
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