Top 70 Tammy Duckworth Quotes

It was the combination of hard work and a hand up that allowed me to become one of the first women to fly in combat missions and achieve my American Dream.

I commanded an Army unit, and I placed the highest priority on a commander’s authority to lead, manage, and discipline the men and women under his or her command within the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

I absolutely welcome a full investigation into the for-profit schools because I think a majority of them are predatory.

We should have completed the fight in Afghanistan instead of starting a new war in Iraq.

Veterans Day is a time to celebrate the men and women who have worn this nation’s uniform and to honor their service.

I spent a lot of time between bars like this.

Those who put their lives on the line overseas are undoubtedly American heroes, but it’s time for us to remember that those who serve in civilian life also embody the American spirit and are worthy of our praise as well.

I almost can’t believe this even needs to be said, but it’s not unwarranted to burden retirement advisers with a requirement that they act in their clients’ best interest.

If I still had my legs, I would be in line for a battalion command, and instead, I’m flying a desk.

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?

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.

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.

Every day, members of the LGBTQ community deal with challenges that most Americans will never have to face. These challenges appear in the workplace, in your homes, in your community, and even in the halls of Congress.

We must recognize and keep in the public consciousness the significant contributions and sacrifices Americans of every community have made that have helped forge the greatest country our world has ever known.

As Assistant Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, a constant concern for me is having our veterans dragged into partisan politics.

Like many moms in this country, I work to provide my child the best life she can have. It’s tough. It’s hard to take care of a sick baby all night, wake up tired, and have to go to work when all I want to do is spend time holding her.

Like so many women, especially military women, I waited to have children.

I went to Iraq in 2004 because I believe in doing my duty, not because I agreed with the war.

My experience in Iraq made me realize, and during the recovery, that I could have died. And I just had to do more with my life.

Nobody wants to be on food stamps, but when my family lost everything, we were grateful for it. I was grateful the program was there so I could concentrate on my schoolwork and not on my empty belly. We were grateful that we had the support we needed to roll up our sleeves and rebuild our lives.

The summer before I started college, my parents walked everywhere instead of taking the bus. Once a week, they would hand over $10 to the university housing office, a deposit so I could move into the dorms in the fall.

Men view life to be as precious as women do, and to say that men have a more violent nature is insulting to men.

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.

I feel like moderate Republicans, who would support sensible gun violence legislation, are pushed aside by those folks who are absolutely beholden to the NRA.

Food Stamps helped keep me from going hungry, and Pell grants helped me go to college.

The ADA allows persons with disabilities the opportunity to participate in the world around them.

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.

In the military, a combatant command is the ultimate job. It’s the pointy tip of the spear, overseeing the people carrying the rifles and flying the aircraft.

I don’t know why I survived Iraq and I don’t know why I made it home, but I do know that this is my second chance at life and I can do whatever I want now.

The military is a place of discipline, technical proficiency, and personal sacrifice for the greater good.

The ADA is essential in helping me overcome the obstacles I face as a Wounded Warrior and empowers me to assist other veterans. It allows me to be physically active, have my pilot’s license, and serve in Congress.

Illinois’ economy will benefit from the modernization of the power sector.

Southeast Asia was home for much of my childhood, but I moved to Hawaii when I was in high school.

I was in Congress for six months, and they put me on blood pressure medication. I flew helicopters in combat and I was fine, and I survived 13 months in recovery in the hospital… I got to Congress, and six months later I’m on blood pressure medication. Fourteen months later, they doubled the dosage!

Life isn’t fair, and it isn’t 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.

It’s really hard to use a laptop when you only have half a lap.

When I got to Iraq, my world focused in on one mission. It was incredibly rewarding.

When I was young, my dad, a veteran who attended college on the GI Bill, lost his job at age 55 when the company he worked for was sold. My entire family pitched in – my mom took in sewing, and I got a minimum wage job after school.

The wheelchair and the prosthesis give me a soapbox to stand on. If it helps me get my message across, I’m glad; then we need to talk about what we need to do for this country.

Our troops do an incredible job every single day, but our policymakers have not lived up to the sacrifices that our troops make every day.

I’m glad that people know my military service. But, like this nation, we are more than our military. And the rest of our story is the same as the rest of my story.

My arm bones looked like chicken bones.

I had been pursuing a Ph.D. in political science when my National Guard unit was sent to Iraq. Eight months into our deployment, in November 2004, a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents tore through the pilot’s side of the Blackhawk helicopter I was flying.

The American Dream I believe in is one that provides anyone willing to work hard enough with the opportunity to succeed.

Running for Senate is a very involved process.

I admire Governor Blagojevich’s unbending commitment to giving every person in Illinois access to health care.

I am just one of the overwhelming majority of Americans who is responsible and hard-working and at one point in their life benefited greatly from government programs such as student loans, Medicare, and Social Security.

In the Senate, you can become one of the nation’s leading voices on the issues.

At my core, I know that the American Dream is about the opportunity to work hard to make your future.

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.

Our soldiers show every single day that they are more than good enough.

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.

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.

The lessons I learned as an officer, the challenges I’ve faced, and the camaraderie I’ve experienced are at the core of who I am.

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?

I actually lost both my legs. I can walk because I got really good health care.

What seems like comfort and security one day can all be taken away the very next.

I have personally seen what a devastating medical condition can cost.

I can’t avoid the interest in the fact that I’m an injured female soldier.

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.

I did not know I was a Midwesterner until I got there. I just fell in love with the people.

As I recovered at Walter Reed, I worried about the soldiers who pulled me out of my helicopter that Friday afternoon. Would they make it back okay? And what about all the other soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who were also putting their lives on the line every day?

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.

The bottom line is, when you’re in the Senate, you have more of a voice in the beginning than a new House member.

The women putting their lives at risk for our country deserve better than to be treated as second-class citizens.

I grew up a daughter of a United States Marine, a daughter of a man so proud to be an American.

We owe it to all our veterans to make sure they have a chance to achieve the American Dream, just like the rest of us.

I had 12 years in the Army before I ever faced combat.

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.

Whether defending our nation as a Black Hawk pilot abroad or serving our veterans and those in need at home, my life has been enriched by the opportunities I’ve had to serve my country and fellow citizens, both in and out of uniform.