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Iraq vet possible Senate replacement for Obama

Tammy Duckworth, who earned the Purple Heart for her service in Iraq, may be moving up with President-elect Barack Obama.

Duckworth, now the Illinois Veterans Affairs director, has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Obama in the U.S. Senate or as Veterans Affairs secretary in an Obama administration.

She accompanied Obama yesterday as the Illinois senator marked Veterans Day by placing a wreath at the bronze soldiers memorial between the Field Museum and Soldier Field in Chicago.

Duckworth, then a pilot with the Illinois Army National Guard, lost both her legs in Iraq in 2004 when her Black Hawk helicopter was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade.

She has said she would be interested in either the Senate seat or a post in Obama’s administration.

“I would be honored to be able to do that on a national level,” Duckworth told The Associated Press recently about the prospect of helping veterans.

U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, following a Veterans Day ceremony yesterday at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl, said Duckworth’s experience and the respect she has garnered from other veterans would make her an excellent choice for Veterans Affairs secretary.

Akaka, chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said Duckworth has appeared in front of his committee and has proven to be knowledgeable of the challenges facing military veterans and their families.

“She’s smart and she would be able to deal with the problems facing our veterans,” he said. “She has a feel for veterans issues. She’s one who has been through it and feels the needs.”

State Rep. K. Mark Takai, D-34th (Newtown, Waiau, Pearl City), who has been friends with Duckworth since they attended UH together, said he spoke with Duckworth at the Democratic National Convention in August about her interest in a post in an Obama administration, although neither wanted to jinx anything by being too specific.

“I think she would be excellent, either as a U.S. senator or as a member of the Obama administration,” said Takai, who serves in the Hawaii Army National Guard. “I think she has real-world experience that many of us can’t imagine ever having.”

Duckworth, 40, made an unsuccessful run for Congress in 2006 before being named Illinois Veterans Affairs director.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will choose who serves the remainder of Obama’s Senate term, which runs until January 2011. He said he would like to make an announcement before Christmas.

Blagojevich has called Duckworth a “superstar.” Other potential choices include U.S. Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr., Danny Davis and Jan Schakowsky.

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Advertiser staff writers Loren Moreno and Derrick DePledge and The Associated Press contributed to this report.