Wounded Veteran Regains Pilot Certificate After Losing Both
Legs In Combat
Gen. George S. Patton once said: “Success is how high you
bounce when you hit the bottom.” For Tammy Duckworth, a major
and an Illinois Army National Guard aviator, the bottom came in
2004, when her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down in Iraq. As a
result of the attack, Duckworth lost both of her legs and partial
use of one arm.
Tammy Duckworth Shows Off Airman Certificate
Duckworth has achieved much since being wounded in 2004, but
regaining her pilot’s license has given the wounded warrior
and top VA official a unique perspective on the control she has
over her destiny.
Since returning to the States, Duckworth has devoted her life to
public service, advocating on behalf of the veterans and the
disabled. In 2009, she was confirmed by the Senate to serve as the
Department of Veterans Affairs Assistant Secretary for Public and
Intergovernmental Affairs. And she has devoted her time over the
last five years to winning back, for starters, her fixed-wing
pilot’s license, recently passing the Federal Aviation
Administration certification.
“When I woke up at Walter Reed, all I wanted to do was to
go back to my unit and fly again,” said Duckworth, a 19-year
veteran of the Illinois Army National Guard. “This fixed-wing
license fills in the gap in my life that has been there since the
day I was shot down,” Duckworth said. She completed about six
months of training before taking her final check ride at Manassas
Regional/Harry P. Davis Field in northern Virginia July 19.
“Tammy was a great student; well disciplined and hard
working,” said Ben Negussie, a flight instructor at Dulles
Aviation in Manassas, VA. “She wanted it more than any other
student. She pushed more and has a great attitude. She never
complained, which has made me think a lot before complaining about
anything.”
Duckworth has not flown a helicopter since her Black Hawk was
shot down, but said she hopes to return to the pilot’s seat
of a helicopter again. She said being a passenger in the aircraft
is not the same as being behind the controls as a pilot. Duckworth
said aviation provides a unique way for her to control her own
destiny. She was able to climb into a Black Hawk while at Walter
Reed and ever since has been excited to fly again. “I also
got into the Black Hawk flight simulator, and it just felt
right,” Duckworth said. “That cockpit is where I
belong.”
Tammy Duckworth In 2006
The first time she flew in a Black Hawk was to welcome her unit
home from deployment. “I cried riding in the back of the
aircraft,” Duckworth said. “I was happy to see the guys
from my unit, but it hurt tremendously to be a passenger and not
part of the crew.” Duckworth said she plans to purchase a
small airplane to help her commute between Illinois and Washington,
D.C.
In the meantime, she said the fixed-wing license is a stepping
stone to get back to flying a helicopter again. “It took five
years to work my way through the FAA’s medical system to
prove that I could fly again with my disabilities,” Duckworth
said. “The fixed-wing license was the best way to demonstrate
my abilities.” Since Duckworth already has an FAA helicopter
license, all she needs to do is some refresher training in a new
civilian helicopter. “I couldn’t get to this point
without doing the fixed-wing rating first,” she said.
Duckworth has become an inspiration to many people, including
Negussie. “She is an example to others not to give up on
anything in life,” Negussie said. “Things are not
always going to go your way, but anything is possible if you have
the right attitude.”
But Duckworth said people who inspire her are the crew members
who helped save her life. “Not a day goes by that I
don’t say thanks for my crew and their heroic effort in
saving my life,” she said. “I wake up every day knowing
that I have to live a life worthy of their actions.”