Miss Utah is competing in the Miss America contest (can’t remember the last time I saw one of those programs…maybe 1979, before the TV went to the dump and Bert Parks was still among us?).Chalons directed us to Jim at Gateway Pundit, who has a number of posts on this young woman, G.I. Jill Stevens. She’s a for-real soldier who spent six years with the Utah National Guard ane was deployed with them in Afghanistan. Now she will compete in the pageant/contest 2008. While serving in Afghanistan, she was awarded the Combat Medical Badge for her work. The requirements are listed here:
The CMB was created as a “companion” badge to the CIB [Combat Infantry Badge] with criteria for its award intended to parallel that of the CIB. It was designed to provide recognition to the field medic who accompanies the infantryman into battle and shares with him the experiences unique to the infantry in combat….
…the infantry unit to which the medical personnel are assigned or attached must engage the enemy in active ground combat [and] …[M]edical personnel must be personally present and under fire in order to be eligible for the awarding of the badge…
Jim says there is something we can do to help her make it to #1 in the coming pageant:
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Vote for her. This notion of having a popular vote is evidently a new part of the Miss America Contest, and the internet makes it easy. This link takes you to the voting page, which has a rolly bar that features the name of the state you’re on.
NB: the voting page doesn’t seem to operate if you have a pop-up blocker in place. I had to click mine off to vote. And you can vote once a day, though time is short: only till the 26th.
For our European readers (and geographically-challenged Americans), the state of Utah is located on the US map image right at the southern-most star. You can vote once a day.
It would be very cool if the internet got a surge going for a real heroine. She’s gotten her nursing degree and plans to return to the Army as a commissioned officer.
While you're over there read this post of Jim’s. A few sour grapes in attendance. Among the left a cramped and sour soul afflicted by a lack of generosity seems to be a prerequisite.
6 comments:
I agree with so much at GoV, but not with the idea of women in the military.
I understand that there is an effort here to protect and promote the bearing of arms, but doing so by attaching a posed female sexiness to it is the wrong way to go, IMO.
Women have been involved in medical roles since Florence Nightgale in the Crimean War (and probably long before that) . That they can handle a weapon is a good thing.
I find it a releif to see such character after being innudated in Britney Spears/Amy Winehouse self destruction and dysfunction on a daily basis.
This lady has it together. I applaud her for it. She's a far better role model than just about anyone you see on television today.
Besides chicks that shoot are pretty cool. They have been for a long time.
Does the name 'Annie Oakley' ring a bell?
Mark Richardson wrote:
I agree with so much at GoV, but not with the idea of women in the military.
And why is it that women shouldn't have the same rights to serve their country as men?
Well, I seem to be in the middle here:
I don't think women belong in front line combat duty just because of the complex sociological problems that arise in those situations.
OTOH, I think women belong in the military in any number of fields. And it is imperative that they are trained in physical combat and firearms use, just because you never can tell who might show up.
This soldier, Jill, has run 12 marathons so she's definitely got endurance...that's one thing women seem to excell in. Endurance, I mean.
I've heard too many GI's gripe about women in the ranks. I'll take their word fot the experience. Of course, no one ever consults the guys in the line of fire.
WHO is Amy Winehouse? Am I missing something interesting?
Dymphna,
I don't think that we disagree... I think we both agree that men and women have the right to serve in the armed forces, that doesn't mean that they have to do exactly the same things, which in fact would be counter-productive. Men and women generally excells in different things and a modern military would do well to take that into account.
I too am opposed to women in front line combat units if the luxury can be afforded. I also think that the 'sugar and spice and all things nice' romanticism is out of place in today's reality. Women need to know how to effectively defend themselves - civilians included.
Amy Winehouse? are you sure you want to know? Well, OK. She's is a drugged out British pop-musician basket case.
You asked
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