Senator Tammy Duckworth's Surprising Connection To Singapore
While the responses that Dr Anjani Sinha, the US ambassador-nominee to Singapore, gave during his Senate confirmation hearing may have attracted the internet's ire, the same hearing showcased US Senator Tammy Duckworth's stellar knowledge of our nation and its role in international affairs.
Senator Duckworth's eloquent takedown of Dr Sinha saw her lambasting the latter for stumbling in his comments about US-Singapore trade relations, Singapore's role in ASEAN, and the US Navy's work in Singapore.
Describing Singapore as one of the USA's most important friends in the Indo-Pacific, she questioned Dr Sinha's suitability for the role in light of his difficulties answering questions about the region.
Earlier in January, Senator Duckworth called out US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth for not knowing how many countries ASEAN has or what its member nations are, pointing out that none of the three countries he mentioned (Japan, South Korea, and Australia) were ASEAN members.
It comes as no surprise that Senator Duckworth would be well-versed in Southeast Asia and its role in world affairs. The Thai-American combat veteran, who was born in Bangkok, spent years living in various places in Southeast Asia while growing up due to moving for her father's work.
Singapore American School students with then-Representative Duckworth.| IMAGE: SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL
In fact, she's an alumnus of the Singapore American School (SAS), having been a student there in the 1980s. She was even on the basketball and track teams!
Her time in Singapore is just one chapter in a remarkable journey that has seen her become a decorated US Army helicopter pilot, who lost both legs when her aircraft was hit in Iraq in 2004, the first woman with a disability elected to US Congress, and the first senator to give birth while in office.
She's not the only one with ties to SAS to make headlines. Here are some other notable SAS alumni who you might have heard of:
Andrea Swift
Don't recognise the name? Perhaps you've heard of her daughter: Taylor Swift.
That's right, Taylor Swift's mother studied at SAS' King's Road campus between 1968 and 1969.
Aimee Cheng-Bradshaw
This SAS graduate represented Singapore in Asia's Next Top Model in 2015, making it to the top three, and is now an international model.
Michael Fay
On the more infamous side, Michael Fay, known for being the first American citizen to be caned in Singapore, was once an SAS student.
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