Tammy Duckworth: Honoring Battle Buddies

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Honoring Battle Buddies
Tammy Duckworth | November 11, 2009

In the Army, the concept of "battle buddies" isn't something Soldiers take lightly. From initial entry training through combat, Soldiers are always paired with a partner for every task. You share everything with this person. You help each other survive the miseries the drill instructors throw your way. You split MREs and sleep shoulder-to-shoulder under a single person tent. You help bandage each other's blisters and one buddy's cookies from home are also his buddies' little bit of comfort. When I transitioned from officer training to flight school, my battle buddy was replaced with a "stick buddy." For a year, we scared each other daily with our beginners' flying skills as we became Army Aviators together.

My experience isn't unique. Today, in all military branches, men and women are covering each other. They're in the tight confines of a vehicle running convoys on a long, treacherous road in Iraq. In Afghanistan they're manning fighting positions on mountain passes, watching each others' backs. Like the nation they represent, these battle buddies come from all parts of America. It doesn't matter where yours comes from; only that when the bullets start flying you are willing to put your lives on the line to protect each other.

My battle buddies in Iraq risked their lives to carry me to safety, saving mine. I had known and always counted on them throughout my Army career. But I soon learned of other battle buddies, ones I'd never even met.

Within hours of regaining consciousness at Walter Reed, I met Korean War Veteran Tom and his wife El, also an Army Veteran. Although I was out of the fight, I had been assigned a new kind of battle buddy for a different mission. Like me, Tom had also lost his legs in battle—over 50 years ago in the mud and freezing fields of Korea. He showed me and the other new amputees that there was a future without legs. We may not have served in the same war, but Tom was my buddy in the foxhole of amputation from which I was battling to emerge.

As I recovered, I met new battle buddies who reached out across time to help my era of Veterans. They include the World War II buddies who saved freedom and came home to build Veterans' programs. There are the Korean War Vets whose valor was so long forgotten yet continued to serve. There are the Vietnam Veterans who taught this country that regardless of where we stand on a war, we must love our warriors. And there are the Gulf War Veterans, who now lead VA's counseling teams, and conduct outreach efforts to homeless and female Veterans.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,205658,00.html?wh=news


About Tammy Duckworth



L. Tammy Duckworth was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs on April 24, 2009. She was previously the Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs and is a major in the Illinois Army National Guard.

During a mission north of Baghdad in 2004, the Blackhawk helicopter she was co-piloting was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. Duckworth lost both legs and partial use of one arm. Since then, she has dedicated her life to public service, advocating on behalf of disability rights and Veterans.

Duckworth is a published author on the health risks of environmental radon and lung cancer. She is a recipient of the Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award, the AMVETS Silver Helmet Award, and the 2008 Disabled Veteran of the Year of the DAV. She's earned many military decorations, including the Purple Heart, Air Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.