Beauty-Queen Soldier Undaunted by 'Today' Talk of Civil War [Video]

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

After a run of sordid beauty-queen stories, it doesn't get much more refreshing -- or inspiring -- than this. A beauty queen lays aside her crown not because of scandal but . . . to serve her country. Meet Jessica Gaulke, who has given up her crown as Minnesota's Queen of the Lakes because her National Guard unit has been activated. Jessica is scheduled for training at Fort Hood, TX and then deployment to Iraq.

The story gets even more dramatic. In the course of her interview by NBC's Natalie Morales on this morning's "Today," Jessica announced that a week from now she will be marrying her fiance.

"Today" generally played the story in positive terms as the graphic "Brave Beauty" suggests. Still, Morales couldn't help but inject NBC's official line on the war into the interview:

"Do you have any reservations about going there, especially as you see how it's basically escalated into civil war there?"

Nothing like suggesting to a young woman leaving behind her new husband and her crown that she might be sacrificing in vain.

Jessica was undaunted:

"I don't. Because my unit has taught me that what we're doing over there is something positive, and we are impacting them positively. And so I'm really confident in going over there, because we're doing a good job."

View video here.Bravo, soldier.

Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Brave-beauty ping to Today show list.

[rbmillerjr]

It just kills the media when somebody "doesn't get it".

Especially a star or beauty queen lol.

[Diogenesis]

[Tax-chick]

Good story. I got a Christmas card from some lady MP's in Tikrit who were as pretty as this girl. (One was training to be a beautician in her spare time :-). They were positive about their mission, too.

[Jeff Head]

Contrasting Moralis and Jessica here is an important distinction IMHO.

Here on the left you have a woman, NBC's Today's Natalie Morales, basically a puffed up, glitzy, media-created mogul, who...because it is popular, because she wants to believe it and set it forward to help her career and in line with the indoctrination she has received... is down on America and its impact on the world, and can't help injecting it into an otherwise very positive and uplifting story. And, despite the fact that the impact of that mission is freeing people, bringing despots and tyrants to justice, and fighting and eliminating terrorists who would do this country mortal harrm if they were otherwise free to do so. That's what you have on the left.

On the right, you have a different woman, Jessica Gaulke. Someone who, due to her beauty queen status, could have chosen the media, glitzy route but who, instead, because of her faith in this country, and her desire to believe in the goodness of its mission, chooses to serve her country and its aforementioned mission while readily rejecting that other path. Who is happy to be getting married traditionally while doing so, and who doesn't mind speaking plainly about it in the face of the interjection of the negative slant by the media. God bless her and keep her for so doing.

IMHO, a classic comparison of what's wrong and right with our country at this time in its history. This is a story, of Jessica Gaulke, worth repeating and worth following.

[jdege]

http://attu-pics.blogspot.com/2006/11/jessica-gaulke-aquatennial-queen-of.html

[beyond the sea]

That is a great face.

[cyn]

Hi, Jeff -- thanks so much for the ping to this.

I'm adding a new keyword to it: "oldmediamissesiniraq" , for stories that reflect our concerns about the old media misrepresenting what we're doing in the war on terror, not reporting the good, and quickly reporting things that should be kept secret.

Another keyword is "goodiniraq", for stories that show the good things that are taking place there.

Happy New Year to you, and best to your family! Thanks for all you do.

[bray]

Where does she get the Civil War nonsense. 90% of the Country is safe, only the Sunni triangle is fighting. Is Israel a Civil War?

Pray for W and Our Troops

[.30Carbine]

I'm so glad you pinged me to your post! I just bought United 93 on DVD and have started watching the specials (not the movie itself yet). The "important distinction" theme is very similar: heroes and anti-heroes. There's nothing new under the sun, as the wise man said; it's been this way since the beginning. God bless and keep, uphold, surround, defend Jessica Gaulke, a hero.

[M Kehoe]

Good morning my FRiend. I hope you and yours are doing well. Are you in Texas?

Thanks for the ping. I thought your commentary was spot on.

5.56mm

[Professional Engineer]

SpankenTruppen ping

[OKSooner]

"You go, girl."

[cyn]

One aspect of the current Miss USA scandal that I don't see mentioned is what an outstanding representative the previous title holder, Chelsea Cooley, was:

MissUSA or ChelseaCooley

Similarly great post on Miss America Jennifer Berry 3/06: America Supports You: Miss America Tours Pentagon, Thanks Troops (Put smiles on your faces)

[wita]

So, whatever happened to that old saying that mom's used to tell their children, if you can't say something good, then don't say anything. Someone ought to remind the MSM. Line em up and give them the ultimatum, we are at war, cover it like we are the good guys or suffer the consequences. The first consequence would have them peeing their drawers.

If media folks find it impossible to play the hero, when the media is pushing their lies on the public, for example the use of the word O C C U P A T I O N to describe what they want to portray in the news as a bad thing, then how on earth can they be expected to play the hero when given the choice as they are lined up before that line in the sand?

Rhetorical questions! So, how many occupations are carried on with 120,000 soldiers occupying a country with a population of millions? Hmmmm? Seems like a disconnect somewhere. In fact the disconnect is between the ears of most of the MSM. Thanks for the ping. Did I forget what my Mom used to tell us?

Someone has to deal in reality, if not us, it won't be the MSM.

[cyn]

your names disappeared when I posted the above. what a contrast!

[Valin]

Queen of the Lakes trades her crown for a gun
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=145846

(click on link for more)


Well, She'll have a gun, but she'll likely have more experience with a tool kit.

Jessica Gaulke was coronated Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes last July. She was forthright about the fact that she had joined the Minnesota National Guard before she had graduated from high school.

She wore her desert fatigues to the "Meet the Candidate" event before she was selected, and told judges that she repairs generators on helicopters.

They laughed when she said that's what endeared her to her "Miss Robbinsdale" chaperones.

"They really liked having me as Miss Robbinsdale because when the float breaks, I can fix it," she said.

On January 4, the 2006 Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes, Jessica Gaulke, wore the same form-fitting strapless gown she was coroneted in. But she descended the grand staircase of the American Swedish Institute to relinquish her royal tiara and pendant. She took the tiara from her head and placed on that of her replacement, 2007 Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes, Jenna Bernhardson. She fastened the royal blue pendant at Jenna Bernhardson's throat.

Jessica Gaulke, Specialist Jessica Gaulke with the second of the 147th Assault Helicopter Battalion, has received orders for deployment to Iraq.

She'll train for six months at Fort Hood Texas, then travel to Iraq where, for a year, she'll service and repair generators on helicopters.

Her resignation came at the coronation of the new queen, but the ceremony turned out to be every much, a tribute to a soldier.

Air Force General Dennis Schulstad said 3,000 Minnesota National Guard soldiers are stationed in Iraq.

"It's your mail carrier. It's the person who repairs your car. It's the school teacher, and it's an Aquatennial Queen," he said.

Schulstad is a former Aquatennial Commodore, and Minneapolis City Council Member.

Current City Council Vice President Robert Lilligren read a proclamation by Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak, which declared, "January 4, 2007, as Jessica Gaulke Day, and (asked) the people of Minneapolis to recognize the patriotism and duty that Queen Gaulke has exhibited."

After the ceremony, the former queen admitted to being a little nervousness at the prospect of her deployment.

She said, "The Aquatennial did give me the option to remain the queen while serving in Iraq, but I would much rather give the opportunity to another girl and have Aquatennial be thoroughly represented for the last six months."

Jessica Gaulke had planned to get married this month, but had postponed the wedding when she was coroneted.

When she decided to resign, she found the date still open at her church and the reception site, so she rescheduled the wedding for Saturday, January 13.

One person asked, "Any second thoughts?"

She hesitated just a moment, then exclaimed, "No!"


By Ken Speake, KARE 11 News




(Copyright 2007 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)

[Valin]

From Best Of The Web

It seems I'll taint the true believers now

Beautiful Loser
Jessica Gaulke, a Minnesota beauty queen, is doffing her tiara to head to Iraq, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Gaulke, 22, short-circuited her reign as Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes to satisfy her commitment to her Minnesota Army National Guard unit, which will head for the war in August.

"I know it's the right decision. . . . It's been an emotional ride, a long one," said Gaulke, queen since July. "But six months as queen was better than nothing."

This reminds us of a couple of quotes by American political leaders:

"You know, education--if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."--John Kerry*


"If a young fellow has an option of having a decent career, or joining the Army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq. . . . If there's anyone who believes these youngsters want to fight, as the Pentagon and some generals have said, you can just forget about it. No bright young individual wants to fight just because of a bonus and just because of educational benefits. And most all of them come from communities of very, very high unemployment."--Charles Rangel
What a terrible country we live in, in which even a beauty queen has no opportunities. And think of what a loser the runner-up must be!

* Though come to think of it, he must've been dumb enough to serve in the military himself, seeing as how he promised 705 days ago to release his military records.

[Jeff Head]

Wife is pinging back and forth helping take care of my MOm so she can live in her home. I continue to earn the denero up here in Idaho. She (the wife) just left yesterday to return to Texas to care for my Mom.

Just the same, we had a wonderful Christmas and New Year up here. Had most of the family here at Christmas and enjoyed the celebration of our Savior's birth around the family hearth.

New Years was made special by that unbelievable Fiesta Bowl finish.

Hope you and yours are doing well and that your New Year is blessed by many witnesses and evidences of God's eternal mercy and love in your lives. As you know, it is there, continually, for each of us to see, enjoy, and be moved by, if we look for and reach out for it.