Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) does not shrink back from a battle. She lost both of her legs while serving in the Iraq War, and she joined the U.S. Senate making a name for herself as a vocal advocate for veterans and active duty service members.
So when a right-wing media outlet, “RedState,” took a cheap shot at the senator on Wednesday, they might not have realized whose crosshairs they just entered into.
In an article criticizing Duckworth for her advocacy on behalf of deported veteran Miguel Perez, an “anonymous” author for RedState called “streiff” crassly wrote: “Unfortunately, Duckworth really doesn’t have a leg to stand on in making this argument.”
The writer was referring to Duckworth’s efforts to help Perez return to the United States and establish retroactive citizenship. Before his deportation, Perez honorably served two tours of duty in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.
But the stab that the RedState writer took at Duckworth did not go unnoticed. A firestorm of tweets followed Wednesday evening, and Duckworth went after RedState telling the author, “I actually have two legs. They’re made of titanium, and they don’t buckle.”
Thanks for noticing, @RedState, but you’re wrong. I actually have two legs. They’re made of titanium, and they don’t buckle. pic.twitter.com/uj2aIO0Ahr
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) March 28, 2018
The senator was actually more focused on the plight of Perez than her personal attack. She focused the rest of her tweets on taking apart the author’s criticism of Perez who faces PTSD, substance abuse and legal problems after returning from battle.
“Many Veterans who suffer from PTSD struggle with addiction and land in legal jeopardy,” Duckworth tweeted. “It’s easy to pay lip service to supporting our troops and Veterans until they come home with complicated and often invisible wounds that they will carry for the rest of their lives.”
“You don’t truly support our Veterans if you’re not willing to acknowledge and support them through the ugly havoc war can wreak on their lives,” she added.
What do you think about this attack on Senator Duckworth, and what do you think about her response?
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