Duckworth: 'Today Is My Alive Day'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Illinois U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth said Monday is the 14th anniversary of the day she almost died while in combat.
In a tweet, Duckworth said "I was quite literally in pieces, but my buddies risked their lives and refused to leave me behind. Every day I think about what they did for me and what I can do to repay them."
Duckworth said a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) went through the cockpit of the helicopter as she was flying over Iraq.
She lost both her legs and the partial use of her right arm as a result of the attack.
Duckworth served in the Reserved Forces for more than 20 years before retiring in 2014.
President Obama appointed Duckworth to be Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs in 2009 before she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 and in 2016, Duckworth was elected to the United States Senate.
In talking about her injury and the people who helped her, she said "making sure I don't let them down is what drives me to do everything I can for our Veterans and troops."
Today is my Alive Day, the anniversary of the day I almost died but didn't. On this day 14 years ago, an RPG tore through the cockpit of the helicopter I was flying over Iraq, taking my legs and partial use of my right arm with it.
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) November 12, 2018