We Are Proud of You, Jill Stevens!
Salt Lake Tribune
There she is, Miss . . . Stevens.
Jill Stevens, the Utah tomboy turned combat medic turned beauty queen, was unable to take another improbable turn into the Miss America crown Saturday night. That honor went to Kirsten Haglund, 19, of Michigan, a more conventional contestant for the stately 87-year-old institution.
But Stevens’ journey to the competition may nonetheless be a clue to how Americans have come to see veterans - and female veterans in particular.
The 24-year-old Utah National Guard soldier, who served a tour of duty in Afghanistan, didn’t make it to a spot on the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino stage alongside 15 other contestants in spite of her veteran’s status, but rather because of it - as an alternate finalist chosen by the viewers of the TLC cable series “Miss America: Reality Check.”
Stevens, a native of Kaysville, had long acknowledged that she didn’t quite fit the model of a pageant queen. A marathon runner and the only contestant to choose a one-piece suit for what is billed as a the “fitness” portion of the competition, she answered to her elimination by dropping to the stage for a set of push-ups, to the cheers of thousands in the audience, including scores of fellow members of the Utah National Guard.
She did not take the competition as seriously as various judges wanted. She was modest and funny and, worst of all, not one of the “cool” kids. She did us proud, and we want her to know that.
Table of contents for Jill Stevens
- Our Best: Miss Utah Babe Edition
- G.I. Jill - Army Medic Competes for Miss America
- GI Jill’s Photos on Flickr
- Sgt. Jill Stevens
- Ensure Jill Stevens Is a Finalist
- Sending An American Hero Off to War or
- Guard Medic Focuses On Miss America Title
- More Jill Stevens
- We Are Proud of You, Jill Stevens!
- Jill Stevens Credits Military Service With Her Civilian Success
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Indeed.
An “alternate finalist”?
Try AMERICA’S alternate to the fake world.
Great blog, BTW.