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

[potlatch]

[devolve]

Where have I seen that before?

[potlatch]

I wonder, and wonder what happened to them??

[La Enchiladita]

A soldier, a beauty queen and a lady, all rolled into one. Hooah, Jessica! You're a great American. I thank you and wish you the very best.

[dixiechick2000]

AWESOME!

[dixiechick2000]

GOOD one!

There's no reason not to listen to the song. ;o)
I'm STILL lovin' that rendition of Hillary.
She's as crafty as ole Slick.

[Huck]

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

Not exactly. She joined the guard while in high school, before she was a beauty queen. She didn't trade one for the other. She was already in the guard when she became a beauty queen. Now that her unit's being deployed, she doesn't have a choice, does she? She can't refuse to go, can she?

Anyway, best of luck to her.

[Jeff Head]

My guess is she has/had all sorts of choices. Before joinging the Guard and after.

She has chosen to serve and serve honorably, in full support of the mission, instead of trying to use her status to avoid that service. That's the point and it applies to her directly and succinctly, just as the counter points apply to Morales.

[Huck]

Her answers to Morales were perfect, and I totally get the contrast yer talking about. It's stark as hell when it's side by side like that.

[cookcounty]

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

Hopefully the Westboro Phelps Phreaks won't be there to protest gay marriage.

[snippy_about_it]

bttt