Madison Marsh, a 22-year-old US Air Force pilot and Miss Colorado, has made history by being crowned Miss America 2024. Marsh, who recently graduated from the US Air Force Academy, embarked on her first solo flight at just 16 years old.
In a conversation with Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, Marsh was asked about what ‘being a woman’ means to her. She responded, “Being a woman in the military is all what you make of it,” adding, “And for me that’s been being able to do both – that means representing my mom who I lost to pancreatic cancer and living through her life, because I get to live even though she doesn’t.”
Marsh, who is also pursuing a master’s in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, spoke about ‘breaking stereotypes’ and balancing her roles as Miss Colorado and Second Lieutenant Marsh.
Her participation in the Miss America pageant was historic in itself, but Marsh went on to win the title. During the pageant, she addressed the issue of ‘drugs in America’ by sharing her mother’s cancer diagnosis story and performed a spoken word piece about earning her pilot’s license at 16 in the talent round.
Following her victory, Marsh said in an interview, “You can achieve anything. The sky is not the limit and the only person that’s stopping you is you.” The US Air Force congratulated her on social media, noting, “Marsh is the first active duty servicemember to ever win the title.”
The achievement has garnered widespread applause. One user, a former Air Force enlisted and retired officer, expressed pride in Lt. Marsh and the USAF, while another congratulated her and thanked her for her service. A third admirer commented, “Wow, that’s bad*ss! Congrats Lt. Marsh!”
