Thais & Thai Americans in the DC Area Support Major Tammy Duckworth’s
Nomination to the Dept. of Veteran Affairs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Thai Alliance in America (TAA), and the Thai community in the greater Washington D.C. metropolitan area, fully supports President Obama’s nomination for Major Tammy Duckworth in holding the position of Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
Major Tammy Duckworth served in Iraq as a member in the Illinois Army National Guard. Because of her service to this country, she has been highly decorated with several medals including the Air Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. Major Duckworth received the Purple Heart medal after sustaining serious injuries when the Black Hawk helicopter she was co-piloting went down in November of 2004. Since that time, Major Duckworth has dedicated her life to public service and is currently serving as the Director of Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Through her efforts she has worked to ensure that veterans and disabled veterans are well taken care of. She has implemented several programs in the areas of health care, mental health, housing, and employment for the benefit of veterans.
In 2006, Major Duckworth ran for a U.S. House of Representatives seat for the sixth district of Illinois in which she lost by a slim margin. She is one of only three Thai Americans to have run for a United States government position.
Major Duckworth was born in Bangkok, Thailand in 1968. In 2007, she returned to Thailand as part of a program sponsored by the United States Consulate and the United States Embassy. Being bilingual, she was able to reach out to vast audiences, in both English and Thai, regarding issues mainly affecting women and those with disabilities.
If she is confirmed by the Senate, Major Duckworth will be the spokesperson for Veteran Affairs and will be responsible for its internal communications, public affairs, intergovernmental relations, homeless veterans programs and special rehabilitative events among many other duties.
The Thai Alliance in America would like to encourage all individuals and organizations to express their support to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
