Army Maj. Tammy Duckworth, who lost both legs in an RPG attack in Iraq in November, speaks with Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, before testifying to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on Thursday. At right is her husband, Capt. Bryan Bowlsbey. (Leo Shane / S&S)
WASHINGTON — Weeks after losing both legs in an ambush in Iraq last November, Maj. Tammy Duckworth told her counselors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center she wanted to return to flying Black Hawk helicopters.
On Thursday, she spoke before a Senate panel on ways lawmakers and the Army can make achieving that goal — and helping all of the injured soldiers from the global war on terror — a little easier.
“No one laughed at me, no one told me I was insane,” she said.
“There have been soldiers ahead of me who were allowed to stay in, and they told me about them.
“But there’s no counselor who’s saying, ‘Here’s what you need to do next.’ You really have to make an effort if you’re injured and want to stay in [the service].”
Thursday’s hearing before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee was designed to review successes and problems with post-injury care and rehabilitation.
Officials from the Government Accountability Office noted that while systems have improved the Defense Department needs to better monitor servicemembers to ensure they are receiving the care they need and are aware of the transition programs available.
Duckworth, a Hawaii native who was serving with the Illinois National Guard, said she would like to see new technologies — things like better prosthetics and wheelchairs — available to more soldiers and more care centers, and better job counseling services for injured veterans who can’t or don’t want to return to duty.
“There is also room for improvement in the hand-holding process,” she said.
“AVA representative was speaking to my husband as I was regaining consciousness. But as you go on, you meet so many people and get so many business cards, it can be hard to sort through. There needs to be a checklist of things to look for.”
Several senators expressed concerns about soldiers being assigned to care centers too far from family and friends. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said his major concern is not so much with the level of care now “but in two years, three years, are we going to continue that?”
David Hosking, a counselor with the Madison (Wis.) Veterans Center, said he worries that many troops, both those injured and those who believe they’ve returned unaffected, don’t understand the medical benefits available upon their return.
The problem, he said, is that many don’t focus on information sessions presented to them because of the excitement of being home and the anticipation of reuniting with their families.
