St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page A001

PIN: MARK MULDER COUPON INSPORTS one PAGE A01Mi1MN0619 key www.STLtoday.com JUNE 19, 2005 $1.25 1 2 3 4 5 6 ILLINOISILLINOIS Vol. 127, No. 169 WEATHER B8 POST-DISPATCH WEATHERBIRD SUNDAY Sunny and dry. High 85. MONDAY Sunny and warmer.

Low 64. High 88. Gambling scandals are old hat in Pekin, but this time, mayor is unapologetic INSIDE, A3 Reburial resurrects ugly past as descendant, mayor wrangle over costs METRO next bishop has tough road ahead even beyond over his installation METRO HAPPY DAY, DADS! FATHERANDSONRUNTHE EXPECTANTDADSSHARE HOPESANDFEARS INSIDE INSIDE A7 Veterans to Branson for an overdue homecoming The Blues and Savvis debt: For buyer, asset comes with a substantial liability NEWSWATCH FAMILY PHOTO The Duckworth family in the mid-1980s: Franklin Duckworth, his wife, Lamai Duckworth, and their two children, Tommy and Tammy Duckworth. DAVID CARSON POST-DISPATCH Tammy Duckworth served as commander of Bravo Company for the 106th Aviation unit of the Illinois Army National Guard for three years. In October 2003, Duckworth was turning over command to one of her lieutenants when she learned that the unit was being called up to go to Iraq.

She pleaded with her battalion commander not to be left behind. HILLIP ONNOR Of the Post-Dispatch Helicopter pilot Tammy Duckworth never saw the rocket-propelled grenade that soared out of the Iraqi desert toward her Black Hawk. At that moment, 4:30 p.m. Nov. 12, Duckworth, 36, was feeling lucky as she piloted the Black Hawk above the muddy brown Tigris River back toward her base at Balad.

Not many women get to fly combat missions these days. Duckworth was among a small sisterhood of about 350 women who fly the versatile and sturdy workhorse. And an even smaller number have flown the $6 million aircraft in Iraq. And, of course, only Tammy had Franklin Duckworth for a dad. She was hell-bent on making him proud.

And on this day, sure he was. Franklin Duckworth was a veteran of two wars and had earned a Purple Heart at Okinawa. Franklin had long encouraged Tammy, and her younger brother, Tommy, to serve their country. Tommy would go into the armed forces, Franklin figured, and Tammy would land a government job. going to give you a good life and good he told them.

As it turned out, Tommy had no stomach for the military. He want to kill people, he said. He dropped out of an Army ROTC program, served eight years in the Coast Guard and now works for a pest control company. It was Tammy who took to the military. When she learned that the Army might give her a chance to she chose the aviation branch.

But it had taken a long time to get into the action. Less than year before this November day, Duckworth worried that she would never get a chance to test herself in combat. Now she had less than four months to go in a one-year tour of duty. As she soared above the Iraqi desert, Duckworth knew her father must be proud of her even if he never said so during the brief calls she made home. This series is part of an occasional look at the changing roles of servicewomen in time of war.

Find other stories online at STLtoday.com/womenincombat Pilot Black Hawks to serve her country and please her father See Duckworth, A10 PARTONEOFTHREE Enjoy Yosemite even without climbing skills TRAVEL IN METRO IN EVERYDAY The Muny season preview WINTICKETS INOUR COSTUME CONTEST.