Ten Hut!

Congrats to Sgt Stevens. She is an inspiration to others and represents the finest of americans, those serving our country so that the rest of us can enjoy our freedom. I would serve with her anywhere in the world under any and all circumstances. As a former member of the military establishment during the vietnam era I want to thank Sgt Stevens and all currrently serving members of the United States Military Services for continuing where I and many other s left off. Good Luck in your endeavor to win this contest.

Grandpa Cory you must be out of your mind as a disabled vet with 15 years of service in the army. I have only seen one case where a female soldier was harassed and with in less then 10 days the accused was prosecuted and sentenced. The military of old is gone females are as much a part of the military as any man. The military has more females in leadership roles than all the corporations in the entire US. So before you start running your trap you should get your head out of your 4 point of contact. The civilian side of the US needs to take a lesson from the military. Go Army!

As an army nurse and prior combat medic I went to combat medic school with Stevens in 2002. She was the best soldier there. Hands down. She maxxed the male PT test and sang the National Anthem at our ceremonies. I hung out with her on the weekends because she was always doing what was right when no one else was. I have always respected her and wondered what she was up to since the army parted our ways. I can't picture a more perfect Miss America. She embodies the person I strive to be mentally, physically, and emotionally. Her integrity, and personality are what made and make all of us love her. I am proud of GI Jill

As a former female member of the U.S.Army (and proudly so), I think that Jill Stevens is representing a very positive image for all female soldiers and women in general. I wish her the best of luck and hope that she takes it all the way. No one in my eyes is more deserving for the title of Mrs. America than a women who actually represents the United States of America in her daily life as a soldier. She should be commended for having the guts to put herself out there for the world to see. Good luck Sgt. Stevens!!! I am cheering you on!!!!

CONGRATS STEVENS!!! :) I am sitting here at work and was just surfing the net and came up on this story!!! Thank you for serving our country!!! I pray for our men and women daily...and i thank God for you all... I hope you do win... like you said Miss America is to picture perfect... i almost cried reading this because it just shows you can be anybody, and anything you want to be, and it takes a True hero to serve for their country. It takes someone like you that can go from Fashion, to Action in no time!!! CONGRATS GIRL!!! You are my inspiration...my mom does foster care and she only takes girls because it is just her...I am going to post a pic of you in their room and this story to show them they can be everything if they want to be!!!! cant wait to seee the results!!!

Hooah Jill! I may actually watch the pageant this year.

Jill represents the embodiment of Miss America more than any of the other candidates because she has displayed willingness to place the needs of this great nation above personal safety and welfare. Jill represents a figure who should be emulated by all of our young men and women; an individual willing to defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic even at the potential cost of her own life. She is Miss America whether she wins the contest or not as far as I'm concerned. Freedom isn't free, a fact many unfortunately take for granted.

As a former Marine and current member of the Army Guard I think this is great. While in the Marines I would get comments like "you don't look like you should be a Marine or in the military", because I was 5'2'' and 105lbs. Like pagaent women military women are judge,there is those that think us to all be butch looking or tom boyish, and those that think we use are sexuality in the military to get a free ride and we shouldn't be apart of it what so ever. Maybe people will be less superficial due to Sgt Jill's participation.

OOH RAH YOU GO GIRL. CONGRATULATIONS!!!! AND GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

The fact that her bravery as a soldier is not enough to bring recognition---she must then be paraded for her beauty. This tells us it is never enough to just be a be a woman doing something as good as a man. It also tells us that the war she has been engaged in obviously is not worth it - which is what most Americans truly believe. It tells us that the military must now reduce us to playboy mansion tactics in order to keep this unjust war going. So lets bring her recognition the same way that all our sexist patriachal designed society believes we should, lets parade her sexuality -- lets put her on display as eye candy--because as NewsWeek has just proven by their article, all of Jill's other accomplishments were simply not enough to put her as an equal to men. All her other accomplishments were not enough to get her a write-up in NewsWeek. No, sadly she had to demean herself, she had to become a sexual fantasy in order to be worth something. Shame on you NewsWeek

Nevermind the rampant sexism in the military. 1 in 3 female recruits will be raped while serving their country, by another countryman. Sexism is deeply embedded in military culture. Military life demands unquestioning obedience to superior officers who are overwhelmingly men, which reinforces time and time again the inferior place of women. Male soldiers are exposed to and become part of a way of life that constantly sexualizes and devalues women. It is an extreme, concentrated expression of the sexism underlying capitalist society generally.

For most women in the military, the torrent of sexual harassment starts in the academy. Female cadets are often treated with open hostility, enduring unwelcome sexual advances and repeated incidents of hazing. Some hazings are extreme and even life-threatening, including reports of women having their clothes set on fire.

"The Sexual Harassment of Female Active-Duty Personnel," H. Antecol and D.A. Cobb-Clark, ideas.repec.org/p/clm/clmeco/2001-27.html
"Sexual Harassment: Open Season on Working Women," B. Corbin and L. Bennett-Haigney, www.now.org/nnt/03-97/sexual.html#military
"Researchers study women's risk of rape in military," March 2003,
The New Standard, 6/16/2004

While there are problems, Grandpacory isn't speaking from a position of knowledgeability. A woman's place is not inferior. Many women have served with distinction. They must not tolerate sexual harassment for the good of all women soldiers. I served 36 years in the military and my last commander was a femaie general officer.

I am proud to see a woman who's busted their a$$ for our freedom as a candidate. She deserves it 110%.

Let's be proud of Stevens and leave it at that. Why must we turn everything positive into something negative?

I don't know what grandpa cory's military background is that warrants such a negative outlook on women in the military, but in all my 22 years with the Air Force I never received anything but respect from co-workers, superiors, and subordinates. I retired as an E7 Master Sergeant. The majority of my time in service was working on cargo aircraft; I was one of the first dozen or so women who entered the jet engine mechanic career field in 1973 and ended my career as a flight line production supervisor responsible for choreographing the people and resouces to bring aircraft up to serviceable status and then launching them in a timely manner. This "rampant sexism" he refers to just wasn't so, not to say it wasn't ever there to some degree, but no more than in civilian society. I suppose he could suggest I never experienced it because I was unattractive, but I don't believe that to be the case. I was no beauty queen, but I was no dog either, and I wasn't a ***. I believe I received respect because I gave respect and I did my job to the best of my ability, just like the guys did. I was part of a team; I didn't ask for any special treatment, and I didn't get any, which is right. So, grandpa cory, go cry your extreme views elsewhere because I'm not listening.

So, back to the original reason for today's posts - congratulations to Sgt Stevens, and good luck!

Grandpa Cory- You obviously are a grandpa because your information is outdated. I attended West Point and served in the Army Infantry. There were incidence that occurred but not in the abundance you are talking about. I would argue that civilian schools and companies have far more cased, but you don't hear about them due to privacy laws. Soldiers don't have privacy laws. Another problem is getting the public to understand that a Soldier does not have a gender. There are things the both males and females must do in order to keep themselves and their comrades alive. These are non-negotiable and in many cases the civilian world would see them as sexual harassement but they are not. Case in point, if a squad leader gives the order for the squad to remove their undershirts and wear just their fatigue blouses due to heat stroke concerns. The female will be taking off her top in front of men, there is no time to put blanket to ensure her privacy. The enemy doesn't wait until your uniform is straight. If she doesn't do it, she runs the risk of becoming a heat casualty and forceing 2-3 squad members to carry and treat her, putting the whole unit at greater risk. Soldiers do not have a gender.

Nevermind the rampant sexism in the military. 1 in 3 female recruits will be raped while serving their country, by another countryman. Sexism is deeply embedded in military culture. Military life demands unquestioning obedience to superior officers who are overwhelmingly men, which reinforces time and time again the inferior place of women. Male soldiers are exposed to and become part of a way of life that constantly sexualizes and devalues women. It is an extreme, concentrated expression of the sexism underlying capitalist society generally.

For most women in the military, the torrent of sexual harassment starts in the academy. Female cadets are often treated with open hostility, enduring unwelcome sexual advances and repeated incidents of hazing. Some hazings are extreme and even life-threatening, including reports of women having their clothes set on fire.

"The Sexual Harassment of Female Active-Duty Personnel," H. Antecol and D.A. Cobb-Clark, ideas.repec.org/p/clm/clmeco/2001-27.html
"Sexual Harassment: Open Season on Working Women," B. Corbin and L. Bennett-Haigney, www.now.org/nnt/03-97/sexual.html#military
"Researchers study women's risk of rape in military," March 2003,
The New Standard, 6/16/2004

Hooah Jill! I might actually watch the pageant this year.

Jill represents America better than any of the other candidates. She has placed her own well-being behind the well-being of our great nation by serving in a combat zone. She is truly the embodiment of what should be expected of all our young men and women; to defend our constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic! She is Miss America as far as I'm concerned whether she wins or not.

Well, Stan, let's try not to forget about the people who flew two planes into the world trade center towers, a plane into the pentagon, and a plane into a field in PA. I'd call that an attack.