SENATOR TAMMY DUCKWORTH TO RECEIVE WCI LEADERSHIP SERVICE AWARD

Lindsay Mitchell

Jan 28, 2019  |  Today's News |  Locks and Dams

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth will receive the Waterway Council Inc’s (WCI) 18th Annual Leadership Service Award on Tuesday evening, February 12, 2019, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC.

 

Illinois Corn Growers Association is a member of WCI and the two work together as partners to encourage investment in our nation’s crumbling waterway infrastructure.  Senator Duckworth has acted as a third partner, advocating for practical, common-sense solutions needed to move our country and Illinois forward.

 

She supports: rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, keeping our water systems safe and lead-free, growing manufacturing jobs while supporting minority-owned small businesses, investing in communities that have been ignored for too long, and making college more affordable for all Americans.

 

She has also been a tireless advocate for the Nation’s inland waterways lock and dam infrastructure and the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP).

 

“Waterways Council is thrilled to have the opportunity to honor Senator Duckworth for her leadership, waterways advocacy, and commitment to America’s critical waterways infrastructure,” said Michael J. Toohey, President/CEO of Waterways Council, Inc. 

 

“WCI’s Leadership Service Award has long applauded our American champions of the Nation’s vital inland waterways transportation and port system, and Senator Duckworth is richly deserving of our recognition this year,” he continued.

 

Senator Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran, Purple Heart recipient and former Assistant Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. She was among the first Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

 

Senator Duckworth served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring from military service in 2014 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 after representing Illinois’s Eighth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms.

 

In 2004, Senator Duckworth was deployed to Iraq as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot for the Illinois Army National Guard. On November 12, 2004, her helicopter was hit by an RPG and Duckworth lost her legs and partial use of her right arm.

 

In the U.S. Senate, Senator Duckworth serves on several influential committees that give her an important platform to advocate for Illinois’s working families and entrepreneurs: the Senate Armed Services Committee; the Environment & Public Works Committee; the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee; and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee.