Duckworth is an Iraq war veteran and Purple Heart recipient who was one of the first women to fly combat missions as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot. When her helicopter was hit by a grenade in 2004, she lost both legs and some mobility in her right arm, NewsNation partner The Hill reports.

Pete Hegseth advocated for Trump to intervene on behalf of service members in three cases involving war crime accusations in 2019.

Hegseth, Trump's pick for Defense secretary, told a podcast host last week that “we should not have women in combat roles.”