After he implied she was not a “true hero,” Democratic candidate Tammy Duckworth said Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) was just as irresponsible with his words as he was with his actions.

“He voted against Medicare three times,” she told MSNBC host Ed Schultz. “When I say my wounds help me understand what it is like to go through a medical crisis, it is because people in the district are scared that he voted against Medicare three times in the short time he has been in Washington.”

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Duckworth, who lost both her legs when the helicopter she was piloting was shot down in Iraq in 2004, said Walsh was trying to “muddy the water” by talking about her military service. She accused Walsh of doing nothing for Illinois’ 8th congressional district and described him as “an extremist loud mouth for the tea party.”

Duckworth, who served as a helicopter pilot with the Illinois Army Guard’s 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation, was awarded the Purple Heart in December 2004.

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