US Air Force pilot makes history as the first-ever soldier to be crowned Miss America
Madison Marsh is a name for the history books.
The 22-year-old is an active US Air Force pilot and was crowned as Miss Colorado last year.
Marsh recently graduated from the US Air Force Academy, six years after she piloted her first solo flight at the age of 16.
But Miss Colorado wasn't enough for the go-getting pageant star, with Marsh deciding to go for Miss America as well.
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Speaking ahead of the competition that came to a close last night (January 14), Marsh was asked a typical pageant-style question by Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy about what 'being a woman' means to her.
"Being a woman in the military is all what you make of it," Marsh replied.
"And for me that’s been being able to do both - that means representing my mom who I lost to pancreatic cancer and living through her life, because I get to live even though she doesn’t."
She went on to discuss 'breaking stereotypes' and being able to be Miss Colorado, as well as Second Lieutenant Marsh.
If that wasn't enough to keep her busy, Marsh is also pursuing a master's in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Simply by competing for Miss America, Marsh was making history, but the 22-year-old actually went on to be crowned the winner last night.
In the discussion round of the pageant, Marsh responded to the topic of 'drugs in America' by speaking about her mom's cancer diagnosis. In the talent round, she performed a spoken word piece about getting her pilot's license at 16.
Speaking in a post-win interview, the pilot said: "You can achieve anything. The sky is not the limit and the only person that's stopping you is you."
In the wake of her win, the US Air Force have posted its congratulations to Marsh on social media.
They wrote: "Congratulations to our very own #Airman, 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh, aka Miss Colorado — who was just crowned @MissAmerica 2024!
"Marsh is the first active duty servicemember to ever win the title."
Dozens of others have since applauded Marsh for her huge achievement.
"As a former Air Force enlisted & retired Air Force officer, I cannot express how awesome this is for Lt. Marsh & the USAF," one user said.
"Moreover, I can’t wait to hear what callsign she pulls when she completes pilot training."
"Congrats to Madison Marsh and USAF. We are proud of you and thank you for your service," penned a second.
A third went on to gush: "Wow, that’s badass! Congrats Lt. Marsh!"
Niamh Shackleton