© 2025 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Our daily newsletter, delivered first thing weekdays, keeps you connected to your community with news, culture, national NPR headlines, and more.

For Tammy Duckworth, War Injury Leads to Politics

Tammy Duckworth, a former Army helicopter pilot who lost both legs in a 2004 rocket-propelled grenade attack in Iraq, is running for the House seat occupied by retiring GOP Rep. Henry Hyde.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Tammy Duckworth, a former Army helicopter pilot who lost both legs in a 2004 rocket-propelled grenade attack in Iraq, is running for the House seat occupied by retiring GOP Rep. Henry Hyde.

One of the more interesting congressional races this year involves a former Army National Guard helicopter pilot who was shot down in Iraq. Last week, Tammy Duckworth won the Democratic nomination from a district in the suburbs of Chicago. Duckworth comes from a long line of veterans with serious war injuries who wind up in politics.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Joseph Shapiro is a NPR News Investigations correspondent.
You Count on Us, We Count on You: Donate to WUSF to support free, accessible journalism for yourself and the community.