After my 30 year USAFA reunion, I wrote an article titled, "The United States Air Force Academy Doesn’t Train Warriors Anymore."
It seems nothing has changed in the last decade, in fact, it's gotten worse.
I read this weekend an article in The Epoch Times about a female USAFA grad, who became Miss Colorado apparently while at the Academy, and now is being allowed to compete for Miss America as an officer.
She was crowned Miss Colorado in May 2023 just before graduating from the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) and commissioning as an Air Force Officer.
The point of my article is not to besmirch the now female officer, so I won't mention her name, but to highlight the profound lack of seriousness with which the Air Force and its Academy take their mission of creating warrior leaders.
Question: Who at USAFA thought it was a good idea to let a cadet compete in a beauty pageant? Was she given time off to compete? Were other cadets given time off to compensate for the uneven playing ground?
Did anyone think of the negative effects this would have on the institution, our long-term national defense, or esprit de corp?
Do you really think this is the image an academy that is tasked with creating our nation's leaders wants to project?
What's next, the USAFA Rockettes? USAFA Tik Tok channel? A reality TV Show - The Real Female Cadets Of USAFA?
The academies used to be tasked with instilling into cadets the perseverance and tenacity that 'no stress or strain could erase.'
Do you think our enemies (foreign or domestic) are worried about fighter pilot beauty queens?
Has anyone stopped to think that just maybe, our psychopathic overlords pushed this agenda on the young woman, prodding her along, helped her win the pageant, in order to create just such a situation?
By the way, I feel the same way about college football players being allowed to shirk their duty to play ball.
It's not the mission. Never has been, never will be.
This nonsense began with our academy sports programs. I am a USMA grad, third in my family and I have a son who also graduated from there. We have seen sports programs gradually devolve into talent competitions which dilute our military missions. I think sports are very important and follow MacArthur's dictums but the money and effort involved is just wrong. AAA athletes get preferential treatment, especially in the realm of discipline.
I am female USAFA grad and have a daughter there now. As much as I hate beauty competitions, I think it’s okay that she competes. I have a new respect for how grueling the competitions are. It was a beauty queen who won a popular TV show putting tv stars through legit Special Ops training tests. People under estimated her grit and determination because she had a pretty face. Also, from a modern 5G / psychological warfare stand point this young officer having influence could be a great asset!
My daddy's daddy graduated... my daddy graduated... my little baby son graduated. Does anyone else see a problem with the selection process? Same thing applies to momma who's little sweetie may graduate from the academy! Has the requirement for admission been changed?
Legacies have always been a thing at the military academies, if nothing else because the former graduates know how to best navigate the admissions process, and best how to prep their children to maximize acceptance odds.
This world is all about who you know, as important as innate ability. But also consider how many graduates' children do not follow in their parent's footsteps. The large majority of cadets are not legacies.
Air Force Academy, class of 2023:
921 cadets graduated from the Air Force Academy on June 1, 2023. Forty-nine cadets have one parent who graduated from the Academy and 6 cadets have two parents who graduated. 54 cadets are the second child in their family to graduate and four are the third child in their family to graduate.
That's a bit over 12 percent who are legacy students. Seems a bit high!
Or maybe we raise our children with a sense of duty, discipline and love of our constitution. My kid is way more qualified and is out performing me (and most) at USAFA on so many levels. Oh and she is one of less then 10 cadets to who stood up to the unlawful mandate. She had her choice of top schools but is willing to serve.
Well, we know just how tough and vicious a beauty queen and be. They will scratch the enemies eyes out.
We seem to shame ourselves these days
I've seen a few videos now of Madison 'Miss Colorado' Marsh. She seems to be a narcissist, has an inflated ego, and is way too brash and bold for someone who is just beginning their USAF career. This nascent celebrity is not going to be a good thing for her, nor is it necessary in our military. At best, competing for Miss America will be a major distraction for her, and those around her who depend on her being committed to the mission 110%. And what if she wins? She gets to roam for a year?
Resign her commission and she can have all the pageants she wants. At the risk of sounding sexist women have no business in the armed forces.
Just curious... how does becoming a beauty queen support the DEI standards of the military. According to some, beauty standards are the gnarled and rotten roots of all that’s wrong with the industry and perhaps the world. They are tools of oppression that reinforce sexism, racism, colorism, classism, ableism, ageism, and gender norms. They are built into our societies and embedded into our brains. They contribute to anxiety, depression, dysmorphia as well as eating disorders. Hurray!