Though barred from combat, women in military service do have de facto roles in combat. Tammy Duckworth, former assistant secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (at the WWII Memorial in Washington in March 2010) lost her legs in combat while piloting a Black Hawk helicopter. 'When I'm asked if the country is ready for women in combat, I look down at where my legs used to be and think, 'Where do you think this happened, a bar fight?' '