Tammy Duckworth, Iraq War veteran and Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives from Illinois, gave a rousing speech on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, focusing on her parents' struggle to support their family. Because her father, a Vietnam veteran, could not find work, when Duckworth was 15 she was the only one in her family with a job, using food stamps, Pell grants, and public education to get herself through high school and college and move on to the Army. "Barack Obama will never ignore our troops. He will fight for them," said Duckworth, who lost her legs during her first tour as an assault-helicopter pilot.
