EAGLE An SAS
Takes the Senate After two House terms, Democrat, war veteran, and former SAS student Tammy Duckworth won a Senate seat in Illinois, putting both of the state’s Senate seats in Democratic hands. Duckworth served in the army during the Iraq war, and there became the first female double amputee of the war after the Black Hawk helicopter she was co-piloting was shot down in 2004. Connecting with voters partly through her inspiring story of overcoming hardship and through a grueling campaign travel schedule, Duckworth prevailed with 66.3 percent of the vote in the closely watched Senate race. Duckworth previously worked as an assistant secretary in the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Her family traces its roots to the American Revolution and served in World War II and the Vietnam War as well.
51 JOURNEYS
W I N T E R
2 0 1 6
Duckworth attended Singapore American School in the 1980s and was part of the basketball and track teams. After moving from Singapore, she completed high school in Hawaii. Singapore American School students who were competing in the US at the National History Day finals in June had the opportunity to meet then-Representative Duckworth at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington DC, a highlight for our middle school students learning more about history and government. As a former student of SAS and a candidate for Senate, she offered a unique perspective on the benefits of attending an international school. Organized by her office and teacher Matthew Elms, Duckworth made a brief introduction and talked about her early schooling as a third culture kid. Having once interned at a history museum, she was curious and knowledgable about every topic our students had studied for their projects. She spoke to students about her role in the US House of Representatives and her various committee responsibilities. The following week, Duckworth was leader in the House of Representatives sit-in to force a vote on gun control.
E
R