WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has chosen U.S. congresswoman and Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth to lead a presidential delegation to the Paralympic Winter Games in Russia.
According to a White House statement released Friday, the delegation will attend athletic events, meet with U.S. athletes and attend the opening ceremony, which is March 7 in Sochi.
Duckworth is a Democrat who represents Chicago’s northwest suburbs.
She was a Blackhawk helicopter pilot in Iraq in 2004 when she lost both her legs and partial use of one arm in an attack.
In a statement reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, Duckworth says “it is a tremendous honor to be part of the Paralympic games with such heroic athletes.”
She says Paralympic athletes “are an inspiration for the disabled citizens of the world.”
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