By: Jim Clash, Contributer
February 1, 2024
Madison Marsh might seem like an enigma to those who don’t know her. On one hand, she’s a hard-core U.S. Air Force officer civilian pilot on active duty. On the other, she was just crowned Miss America 2024. But to Marsh, 22 and just engaged, there really is no contradiction.
We spoke with Marsh this week about that, and about how she manages to juggle her demanding life. Following are edited excerpts from a longer phone conversation.
Jim Clash: What is the biggest misconception people might have when they first meet you?
Madison Marsh: When I’m dressed up as Miss America, I don’t think people would normally expect me also to be an officer. The beautiful thing is now we get to break both of those [stereotypes] simultaneously. I get to tell people I’m an armed forces member and Miss America. It breaks down what people may have thought about the military in the past, and about Miss America in the past as well.
Clash: I imagine two of the most memorable moments in your life were when you were informed you had been accepted to the U.S. Air Force Academy, and when you heard that you were chosen Miss America.
Marsh: They were very different days for me. The night before my mom passed away from pancreatic cancer, I got a call from my Congressman who told me I had received early admission to the Air Force Academy. That night was obviously a somber one. But I was able to tell her I was going to my dream school before she died, and that was super important for me. That, of course, was very different from the happy shock of winning Miss America, even though my mom couldn’t be there for it.
Clash: When you do win the pageant, are you told just before, or is it an absolute shock – ie, you know it at the same time the audience knows?
Marsh: You don’t know. The only people who do are the auditors and the person who announces it. The pauses you might see on TV are when they are actually crunching the numbers of who made the top ten, who won, all of that good stuff. I was standing there, heart pounding, having no clue who was going to place or where.
Clash: Having won Miss America and being active duty military, how will you juggle the two over the next year?
Marsh: At the Air Force Academy, they give you 36 hours of things to do in 24, so you have to figure out how to prioritize the things you really care about. When I shared with my command after I had graduated that I was going to compete for Miss America, they all jumped on board. We worked closely with one another for me to win and become the first active duty military woman to do so.
They have been really great at keeping me on active duty to ensure this is mutually beneficial both to recruit and to shine some good, positive light on the Air Force. Any time I do a Miss America event, I’m giving back to the Air Force in those areas.
Clash: You started flying when you were what, 15, solo’d at 16. The first time you were in a plane by yourself must have been something.
Marsh: It was a little scary, but also exhilarating. You spend a long time training with someone beside you. My instructor was J.D. Williams, a former F-16 pilot. To not have him up there was obviously terrifying at first. But I just remember touching down and then getting to hug him, my mom and my little sister. That was the best part, accomplishing something I had worked so hard at and then sharing it with my loved ones.
Clash: What are you afraid of, and how do you handle fear?
Marsh: A big fear for me for a long time was not giving enough to things I’m passionate about. Watching my mom pass away when she was so young, I saw firsthand how important it is to choose how you spend your time. It is so easy to lose track and spend too much time on your phone, focusing on the negative things in life, on bad relationships. That is time wasted so many people wish they could have back. I always remind myself of how lucky I am to be here. Every extra day, every extra moment, are ones my mom wished she could have had.
Clash: You did a familiarization flight in the back seat of an F-16 not too long ago. Compare that to piloting a small plane.
Marsh: A female pilot flew me, the only female fighter pilot in the entire squadron. It was hearing about her experiences serving in the Air Force, how much she loves her job, that was really awesome. Then being up there for the first time, how fast you take off, how quickly the aircraft moves around, how low to the ground you can fly – obviously very different from the Cessnas I’m used to flying.
Clash: When you were a kid, what did you want to be? How did you end up at the Air Force Academy?
Marsh: An astronaut. I knew that the best way to become one from speaking to astronauts was to become a test pilot. Before that, you should become a fighter pilot, and before that you need to join the military where they will eventually make you a pilot. The best place to start for me was the Air Force Academy.
Clash: Do you still want eventually to become an astronaut?
Marsh: I do not. I’m really passionate about pancreatic cancer, interested in spending some time helping in that area.
(Editor’s Note: Madison Marsh has established the Whitney Marsh Foundation to aid with research for pancreatic cancer.)
Read the article HERE: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimclash/2024/02/01/madison-marsh-beauty-queen-hard-core-air-force-second-lieutenant/
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