How a fighter pilot became the first active-duty service member to win Miss America
Miss America 2024 winner Madison Marsh on Wednesday, January 17, 2024.(Credit: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
Second Lt. Madison Marsh made big plans for herself when she was young, but never really factored becoming Miss America into the equation.
However, after a tough competition last year, Marsh became the first active-duty service member to earn the crown.
The U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and public figure joined "Fox and Friends" on Tuesday to discuss her career and new op-ed.
"This was a historic year, not just for Miss America, but also the military," Marsh told FOX. "Both organizations were doing something very new, and we had a lot of lessons learned, but more importantly, personal lessons learned, and just the ability to show people that everyone has a story to tell and everyone has the ability to impact and inspire others if you choose to share your voice."
According to the Air Force, Marsh wanted to be a pilot and an astronaut while growing up, so she attended NASA's Space Camp at age 13. When she learned that she could further her ambitions by going to the Air Force Academy, she started working toward becoming a cadet, even earning her civilian pilot's license at 17 years old.
In 2018, Marsh lost her mother, Whitney, to pancreatic cancer. In her honor, the family started the Whitney Marsh Foundation, which raises funds for research and awareness to increase patients' chances of early detection. Marsh took on the role of co-founder and president.
Marsh graduated from the Air Force Academy in the spring of 2023 with a degree in physics. Upon her commissioning, she received a pilot's billet. But soon after, she was crowned Miss Colorado, and her career trajectory started to change.
Last year, Marsh won the title of Miss America during a national pageant in Orlando, Florida. The Air Force said it "rolled with her change of fortune" and put her into a public affairs/recruiting position for the year that she was Miss America.
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Last week, Marsh released an op-ed piece in USA Today titled "My year as Miss America proves joining the military doesn't mean losing yourself."
In the column, she revealed that she did not believe she rewrote history or altered the course of military culture as other news sources previously reported.
"But in reflecting on my year as it comes to an end, I think I did something simpler, yet maybe more meaningful: I provided hope to a generation of young people. I provided hope for those who have lofty goals but feel limited by their perception of what ‘type’ of person they are. I showed people that the only limitation to your goals is the amount of work you put in," Marsh wrote.