Every Day Is a Gift; A Memoir

New York: Twelve, 2021. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Annie Lebowitz (Front cover photograph). ix, [3], 275, [1] pages. Illustrations (many in color). Inscribed by the author to Senator Patrick Leahy on the fep. Inscription reads Pat--Everyday I [unclear] with you is a day I learn something new. It is my privilege & honor to be your colleague & friend. Warmly, Tammy April 2021. Picture with Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider in the illustrations section appears to be originally signed by each!!! Ladda Tammy Duckworth (born March 12, 1968) is an American politician and retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel serving as the junior United States senator from Illinois since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented Illinois's 8th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017. Born in Bangkok, Thailand and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Duckworth was educated at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and George Washington University in Washington, D.C. A combat veteran of the Iraq War, she served as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot. In 2004, when her Black Hawk helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, she lost both legs and some mobility in her right arm. She was the first female double amputee from the war. She was awarded a medical waiver to continue serving in the Illinois Army National Guard for another ten years until she retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2014. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016, defeating Mark Kirk. Duckworth is the first Thai American woman elected to Congress, the first woman with a disability elected to Congress, the first female double amputee in the Senate, and the first senator to give birth while in office. Derived from a Kirkus review: Heartfelt memoir from the senator and Iraq War veteran. Duckworth was born in Thailand in 1968, the biracial daughter of an enlisted American-born father and Thai-Chinese mother. As a child, she struggled with feeling "self-conscious about being different." Her family also relocated frequently, which contributed to feelings of uncertainty about her future. In 1984, they moved to Hawaii. Due to her family's financial situation, Duckworth held down numerous jobs while finishing high school. Although her life was stressful, she never gave up and was accepted to the University of Hawaii, where she got a bachelor's degree in political science. After earning her master's degree in international affairs from George Washington University, she joined the Army ROTC and "fell for the Army like no one ever fell for the Army before." Though she began a doctorate program, she interrupted her studies to serve (she later completed her Ph.D.). Defying the odds, she became one of the few female pilots to fly a Black Hawk helicopter. In 2004, while on a mission in Iraq, her "world exploded" when a rocket-propelled grenade hit her helicopter. During her long recovery, she met Sen. Dick Durbin and shared her thoughts about the desperate changes needed for women in the military, veterans, and their families. Durbin encouraged Duckworth to run for Congress. Feeling "a responsibility to be a voice for...young warriors," she became an advocate for veterans and held numerous public offices before becoming a senator in 2016. Despite the scars of discrimination, poverty, and war, her commitment to the service of others has never wavered, and her moving story demonstrates that "healing is always possible, and that the low moments can lead to the greatest heights." An inspiring example of the power of determination. Patrick Joseph Leahy (born March 31, 1940) is an American politician and attorney who represented Vermont in the United States Senate from 1975 to 2023, and also served as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate from 2012 to 2015 and from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Agriculture Committee at various points during his 48-year tenure. Leahy is the third-longest-serving U.S. senator in history, and is the longest-serving member of the United States Congress to solely serve as a U.S. senator. In April 2023, Mayor Miro Weinberger announced that Burlington International Airport would be renamed Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport.