Title: Veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan Become a Force in Politics

Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/vet_audio.m4a' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan Become a Force in Politics' data-article-id='965'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='8958'>Today, Tammy Duckworth is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and a candidate for the Senate.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='8958' data-end-time='16875'>Eleven years ago, she was an Army soldier flying Blackhawk helicopters in Iraq.</span> <span data-start-time='16875' data-end-time='24750'>On the day after Veterans Day 2004, a grenade struck her helicopter. </span> <span data-start-time='24750' data-end-time='31479'>The blast destroyed her legs and severely damaged an arm. </span> <span data-start-time='31479' data-end-time='41188'>Those injuries and her experience as a soldier made her want to become involved in politics, she says.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='41188' data-end-time='45833'>“So I got this second chance at life, and I see my time now as a bonus. </span> <span data-start-time='45833' data-end-time='48521'>And that’s really allowed me to speak up without fear. </span> <span data-start-time='48521' data-end-time='50250'>And stand up for what I believe in for what we all believe in. </span> <span data-start-time='50250' data-end-time='57979'>After all, what are the folks who don’t agree with me and my political adversaries going to do blow me up?”</span> <span data-start-time='57979' data-end-time='68521'>Duckworth is part of a small but growing force in U.S. politics: veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.</span> <span data-start-time='68521' data-end-time='81146'>Congress includes 25 lawmakers out of 535 who are veterans of America’s two most recent wars.</span> <span data-start-time='81146' data-end-time='88708'>In the history of veterans in Congress, that number is both small and large. </span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/vets_image.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=4469 data-hint-location='16875' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/what_does_grenade_mean.m4a'>What does grenade mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='a small bomb'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/a_small_bomb.m4a'><span>a small bomb</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/strongly_supporting_one_leader.m4a'><span>strongly supporting one leader</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/people_who_do_some_activity_with_you.m4a'><span>people who do some activity with you</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/enemies_or_opponents.m4a'><span>enemies or opponents</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=4470 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/what_is_duckworth_a_member_of.m4a'>What is Duckworth a member of?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='House of Representatives'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/supreme_court.m4a'><span>Supreme Court</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/house_of_representatives.m4a'><span>House of Representatives</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/presidential_cabinet.m4a'><span>presidential cabinet</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/united_nations.m4a'><span>United Nations</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=4471 data-hint-location='68521' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/congress_includes_25_lawmakers_out_of_535_who_are__blank_.m4a'>Congress includes 25 lawmakers out of 535 who are <span class='blank'>veterans</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='veterans'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/veterans.m4a'><span>veterans</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/accountants.m4a'><span>accountants</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/engineers.m4a'><span>engineers</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/608/lawyers.m4a'><span>lawyers</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>

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Today, Tammy Duckworth is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and a candidate for the Senate.

Eleven years ago, she was an Army soldier flying Blackhawk helicopters in Iraq. On the day after Veterans Day 2004, a grenade struck her helicopter. The blast destroyed her legs and severely damaged an arm. Those injuries and her experience as a soldier made her want to become involved in politics, she says.

“So I got this second chance at life, and I see my time now as a bonus. And that’s really allowed me to speak up without fear. And stand up for what I believe in for what we all believe in. After all, what are the folks who don’t agree with me and my political adversaries going to do blow me up?” Duckworth is part of a small but growing force in U.S. politics: veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Congress includes 25 lawmakers out of 535 who are veterans of America’s two most recent wars. In the history of veterans in Congress, that number is both small and large.

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