November 11, 2020

Duckworth Commemorates Veterans Day at Ribbon Cutting of New Chicago Veterans Home She Helped Secure Funding For

 

[CHICAGO, IL] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, commemorated Veterans Day and celebrated the completion of a new Illinois Veterans Home on Chicago’s Northwest Side today. The Senator spoke at a ribbon-cutting ceremony and participated in a tour hosted by the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA) along with Governor JB Pritzker, IDVA Director Linda Chapa LaVia, Coordinator of Chicago’s Veterans Home Gwen Diehl, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) and other Illinois officials and stakeholders. Today’s event took place one day before the 16th anniversary of the day when Senator Duckworth’s Blackhawk helicopter was hit by an RPG, also known as her “Alive Day.” Duckworth has advocated for over a decade for funding for the Chicago Veterans Home, dating back to her time as the Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

“I’m so grateful that our dream of opening this Veterans Home is finally a reality and, despite everything going on, we’re able to be together to celebrate Veterans Day,” Duckworth said. “Our Veterans have sacrificed so much for the rest of us, putting country over self and redefining bravery time after time, tour after tour. It’s on us to make sure we don’t just pat our Veterans on the backs on Veterans Day—but honor them on the other 364 days of the year, too. That means expanding access to safe, affordable housing like this Veterans Home because we are all dishonored when any Veteran is forced lay their head down to sleep on the same streets they defended.”

Ever since she was recovering at Walter Reed, Duckworth’s mission has been to support, protect and keep the promises we’ve made to our Veterans as well as ensure America fully stands behind the troops our nation sends into danger overseas. In February, Duckworth joined her colleagues in condemning the Trump Administration for stonewalling critical benefits to Veterans suffering from health conditions associated with their exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Duckworth also demanded an investigation into the Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ (VA) handling of a sexual assault reported by a Veteran at the Washington, D.C. VA Medical Center (DC VAMC).

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