I guess I contacted his office enough that he finally called me and said, “You know, if you have such great ideas and if you are this concerned then you should do something about it.” He basically said, “Put your money where your mouth is,” [laughs] and that’s when I realized, “Maybe I should do something.” But that is so true in any aspect in life. People complain about the laws in this country, yet so many of us refuse to get involved. How can you be dissatisfied if you don’t even try to make a difference?

SM: You were studying for a master’s in international affairs when you decided to join the military. Why did you enlist?
Duckworth: I found in graduate school that the friends I had and the people whose values I respected were all members of the military. So I got to talking to my friends and they said, “If you’re serious about it why don’t you take ROTC [Reserve Officers Training Corps]?” I really enjoyed my ROTC classes and that’s when I realized I wanted to make the military part of my life.

SM: What is it about the military you like?
Tammy Duckworth: The value system. I can be with other people who truly understand what it means to serve your country and that there’s something bigger than yourself. I wouldn’t have had anywhere near the leadership development in the civilian world. I ended up commanding a Black Hawk helicopter company. They didn’t care if I was female or a minority; as long as I could do the job then I was going to be given an opportunity to do the job.

SM: You are obviously an inspiration for many people. Who inspires you?
Duckworth: The World War II generation has always been my hero. The fact that they fought this incredible war and then came home and brought America into the modern era and made a world leader of it has always been inspiring. My personal heroes are people like Senator Dole, Senator Inouye and Senator Hart [who] all were World War II veterans and all were injured and recovered together at the same military hospital as young soldiers. They could have stopped serving, but each went back to their homes and chose to continue to serve their country. They’re my heroes and it’s not about any political party, it’s about serving your country.