Tammy Duckworth On Joe Walsh: ‘I Was Not Surprised at All’
Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat challenging Republican Rep. Joe Walsh in Illinois’s 8th Congressional District, is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Illinois National Guard who lost both her legs when insurgents shot down her helicopter in Iraq. This week, Walsh, who has never served in the military, attacked Duckworth’s military service, sparking a media firestorm. Duckworth spoke with Salon about Walsh, what keeps her going after losing so much and her superstitions.
What was your first reaction when you heard Walsh’s comments?
Unfortunately, I was not surprised at all. This is typical of the type of things that he says. We didn’t responds the first two times. And this time, we didn’t respond at first either, but then I just felt like we had to because I think he’s undermining a lot of veterans out there. There are 23 million veterans in this country, and they should not be criticized for talking about their military service.
I know some veterans have flooded Walsh’s Facebook account with condemnations. Have you heard from other veterans?
Definitely, a lot of folks have reached out to us. A lot of veterans, including some who say, “I’m a Republican, but I’m supporting you because this is just not acceptable.” And you know, we even had a lot folks come and sign up on our Facebook page, as well. So it’s been grea