Today’s Iconic Woman is a modern-day warrior woman… Tammy Duckworth, survivor of a series of war injuries that occurred when she was co-piloting a helicopter in combat during the Iraq War! 

Tammy is a woman of many firsts - she was the first female American double amputee of the Iraq war, the first person born in Thailand elected to Congress, the first Thai American woman elected to Congress, the first woman with a disability elected to congress, and the first Asian-American from Illinois in Congress, the first female double amputee in the Senate, the first senator to give birth while holding office, and the first senator to vote while holding a baby on the Senate floor…

She’s a champion for the Americans with Disabilities Act, veterans’ rights, and women’s rights. She introduced and led a resolution to change the rules to allow Senators to bring children under one year old onto the Senate floor in order to breastfeed. And, she was awarded a Purple Heart for her injuries sustained during her service.

There are so many things that make Tammy Duckworth iconic. She has overcome incredible obstacles and also broken innumerable barriers. She’s an unstoppable force in her courage and determination to fight forward.

Don’t be afraid to be the first! Your whole life, people will tell you you can’t, or that it has never been done before, or that it “just isn’t done that way.” But hopefully, Tammy’s story can help us push back against those criticisms and push forward to fight for what we believe in, and if something has never been done before, we can be the leader for change!