Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) blasted a since-deleted social media post by the Democratic National Committee for politicizing the deaths of 13 soldiers killed during the military conflict with Iran. It featured the images and names of the deceased under the words “Remembering the Americans who have died in Trump’s war with Iran.” Duckworth criticized the “political attack on Memorial Day” as “distasteful.”
“It is incredibly distasteful to use our heroic dead for a political attack on Memorial Day,” said Duckworth. “I’m a Democrat and I condemn this post by the DNC.”
It is incredibly distasteful to use our heroic dead for a political attack on Memorial Day. I’m a Democrat and I condemn this post by the DNC. https://t.co/2lqI4jGcnd— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) May 25, 2026
Duckworth served in the Army from 1992 to 2014. She was in the Army Reserve from 1992 to 1996, before transferring to the Army National Guard in 1996. She was a helicopter pilot during the Iraq War. During one mission in 2004, her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down by Iraqi insurgents. As a result of the combat wounds, Duckworth lost both legs and suffered an additional injury to her right arm.
The DNC’s social media post was made around 11 a.m. Duckworth made her post on Monday at 6:25 p.m. At some point after her post, the DNC account deleted the controversial image on all of its social media platforms.
