tammy duckworth earns her wings

Tammy Duckworth can fly again. The Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs recently earned her Federal Aviation Administration certification to pilot fixed-wing aircraft: Duckworth earns fixed-wing aircraft license. Awesome, considering she lost both her legs as a helicopter pilot in Iraq:

The Hoffman Estates veteran was a helicopter pilot in Iraq when she lost both her legs and partial use of one arm in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in 2004. The Illinois Army National Guard said Wednesday that Duckworth has earned Federal Aviation Administration certification to pilot fixed-wing aircraft.

Guard officials say Duckworth completed about six months of training before receiving the certification on July 19 in Virginia. Duckworth says the license "fills in the gap in my life that has been there since the day I was shot down."

Now she just needs to get herself a sweet little set of wings for her commute between Illinois and Washington D.C. She may never fly a Black Hawk again, but she's still flying. More here: Duckworth earns her wings.