Lieutenant Deshauna Barber; Miss USA
The big news this morning is that Army reservist Lieutenant Deshauna Barber won the Miss USA title last night. Her question from the judges was, according to CNN;
When asked by judge Joe Zee whether the Pentagon’s decision to open up all combat roles to women had “put political correctness over our military’s ability to perform,” 1st Lt. Barber responded:
“As a woman in the United States Army, I think it was an amazing job by our government to allow women to integrate into every branch of the military.”
She continued: “We are just as tough as men. As a commander of my unit, I’m powerful, I am dedicated and it is important that we recognize that gender does not limit us in the United States.”
She says that she intends to highlight veterans’ issues during her reign, according to Fox News;
Barber said she plans to use the pageant’s spotlight and her title to support veteran’s causes and tackle the issue of suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder among military members. When asked what message she had for the presidential candidates — including former pageant owner and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump — Barber said they should focus more on veteran’s issues, including the backlog at veterans hospitals.
That’s laudable, I suppose.
She’s going to ask for a break from her reserve obligation;
In a press conference following the event, the 26-year-old lieutenant from Northeast DC said she plans to take a break from the Army Reserve and had already discussed with superiors the possibility of going inactive for a couple of years should she win the title. She said she currently serves two days per month.
“My commander should be watching right now,” Barber said. “Two days a month is definitely not active duty. It is an obligation that I signed up for but they are very flexible in the United States Army Reserves.”
She should be aware, however, that when she’s running for President in 20 years, she’ll have to explain those “not observed” entries on her Officer Evaluation Reports by her rater.
Category: Reserve Issues
Damm. That’s one ugly woman. Are those judges blind?
Come on now, it was the “PC” choice! Protected class, Army Officer, what safer and more ‘patriotic’ choice is there? She definitely used that military angle to her advantage, no?
I would have picked Miss California, Nadia Mejia. Her dad made that popular 90’s rap “Rico Suave.” She is one hot tamale.
She is objectively not ugly.
She is quite beautiful.
She’s obviously not very interested in her Military Career given that she wants to put it aside on her “HEY, look at me!” campaign.
There’s no objectivity about it, Lars. What’s considered attractive has always been a matter of individual and cultural subjective preference.
Comrade Poodle Dik….After a few days of pleasant peace and quiet from your absence, someone posts something and of course you need to come on here and correct them. Simply because they have an opinion opposite of you. As if yours is the only definitive opinion on this web site and how many others? Yeh, you the doofus who more than once reminded we, mostly experienced veterans but none the less the great unwashed, in your not-even-close-to-be humble opinion….that “People who fear Communism are foolish”. Here’s a little story you will interesting and no doubt complain about and disagree with.
http://www.bustle.com/articles/8836-is-china-a-communist-country-why-americans-cant-be-ignorant-about-china-anymore
Ah! I see the poodle has been sniffing around again. I think the Coasters had it right.
https://youtu.be/Y1ZJiBHh-Yw
I taught this young lady during ROTC. She was much more interested in pageants (which she talked about even then) than in ROTC and the military. Not a bad student overall but definitely average to below average in her military training, etc. She was clearly using ROTC as a means to an end and, in some ways, I believe probably leveraging her veteran status to elicit some preference in this competition.
It takes all kinds I guess.
Was she ever on AD?
Probably commissioned directly into USAR…
Probably only during OBC.
Is she going off to Ranger school next?
It will make her a stronger leader for her next command.
(extra sarc activate)
Miss America pageant…who cares?
Miss USA actually, totally different pageant. This is the one Trump used to own I believe?
I would commute 1500 miles every drill weekend for a period of time. It was no big deal as I had the resources to pay for a round trip ticket to and from Fort Knox. I did that for over 3-years before retiring.
I like that chick on the left side wearing a black dress.
Nice to know she has her priorities straight…..
/sarc
Speaking of priorities, see:
Chad Hennings
Roger Staubach
David Robinson
many others, too many to mention…
Staubach served his time…even went to Vietnam. David Robinson was too tall to be walking around a ship.
Somewhere in my archived files, I have a photograph of Roger Staubach that I took when I was down at NAS Pensacola at “A” School He did put his time in after the academy. After he left the Navy, he went into the insurance business.
Actually, real estate. He worked for a large property management company in Dallas during his off seasons.
IIRC, he sold the company he founded a few years back for over $600M.
Smart man by any definition.
Hennings was an A-10 driver.
Staubach went to Viet Nam.
Robinson was a Civil Engineer.
Napoleon McCallum played for the Raiders in the 80’s and 90’s and served in the Navy at the same time (he was a Supply Officer on the USS Pelileu):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_McCallum
Here’s some more about recent changes in military priorities.
SECDEF Carter is allowing Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds to go straight from the Naval Academy to the NFL, without first serving any active duty time. SECDEF Carter and SECNAV Mabus are going to allow Reynolds to “defer” his service, whatever that means.
‘Keenan Reynolds gets OK from secretary of defense to play in NFL’
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/15769528/keenan-reynolds-former-navy-midshipmen-quarterback-gets-final-approval-play-baltimore-ravens
‘Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said Navy’s Keenan Reynolds can defer his military service to play in the NFL.
Carter made the announcement Friday during his graduation speech at the Naval Academy. This was considered the final step in allowing Reynolds to play for the Baltimore Ravens.
“It is a blessing to hear the news from Defense Secretary Carter,” Reynolds said. “I am truly excited to proudly serve my country while having the ability fulfill my dream of playing for the best organization in the NFL.”
It was two weeks ago when Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus submitted a request and “strongly recommended” that Reynolds be cleared to join the NFL after a standout college career.
“This is good news,” Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said, “and congratulations to Keenan on his graduation today.”
The Ravens drafted Reynolds in the sixth round and are looking to turn the triple-option quarterback into a wide receiver and returner in the NFL. He finished his college career as the FBS’ all-time leader in total touchdowns (88), rushing yards by a quarterback (4,559) and points scored (530).
Mabus recently said he couldn’t think of “a better ambassador for the United States Navy or for the United States military than Keenan Reynolds.”
“I would like to thank the Navy for allowing me to represent them while taking advantage of this unique opportunity,” Reynolds said.’
Indeed after a nice career in the NFL I’m guessing some injury that ends his career will also prevent him from fulfilling his obligation.
Nice knowing those two assclowns Carter and Mabus are still placing service above self…/sarc
I think he should take a look at what he owes the United States Navy. He owes the Navy a few years of service or a few hundred thousand dollars in re-imbursement for his taxpayer funded education. I’m pretty sure the Navy could easily garnish his wages for a few years.
If we’re lucky, perhaps there will be adults assigned to those positions who will demand he use his NFL earnings to pay back his education.
wouldn’t be as thrilled about Robinson…his first request on graduation was that he NOT serve any sea duty because it would screw up his playing in the NBA. The then-SecNav basically told him he served where the Navy wanted, not the NBA.
I’m digging Ms. South Carolina!
Hell Yeah. I’d stick my penis in her for sure.
“We are just as tough as men. As a commander of my unit, I’m powerful, I am dedicated and it is important that we recognize that gender does not limit us in the United States.”
First of all, no you are not as tough as men. As a commander you are only as powerful as your rank lets you be. On the battlefield, you are a liability. Your presence limits the power and toughness of any unit.
You lady are the problem not the solution.
It was the PC thing for her to say. You don’t think she’d lessen her chances of winning by saying the correct response do you?
Ha! Wave a quiche or a smoked sausage under Dave Hardin’s nose, and he melts.
Wouldn’t you dearly love to see that eltee stand in front of the desk of the first O-6 up her chain of command and tell him how powerful she is?
And these days he’d relent to her power because he’d be afraid of getting fired since she’s a popular PC type right now.
He’d also be afraid of EO complaints and the like treating her like a woman, or even if he watched the pageant and saw her in a bikini because he’s sexist.
Nothing undermines leadership, morale, and breads contempt than being under someone that has separate lower and standards than you.
Another tool.
>sigh<
They’re still doing the Miss America gig? Huh. I thought that went by the wayside.
Miss America and Miss USA … two different contests. This was Miss USA, not Miss America.
Regardless they’re both as dumb as the contestants.
Miss USA, Miss America – what’s the difference? They’re both silly.
Only a matter of time before we see the Mr/Miss “T” contest I suppose…
There already are, they are just not televised, YET… coming soon.
One is more about beauty, philanthropy and talent. The other one (this one) is strictly about looks.
Same bullshit, different marketing.
“As a woman in the United States Army, I think it was an amazing job by our government to allow women to integrate into every branch of the military.”
Yeah, amazing. That happened in 1948 with the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act.
lol. That’s what I thought when I read that too.
I wanted to let you guys do that first.
Thank you.
I’ll bet she doesn’t have a gedunk medal.
If she’s been assigned to a drilling reserve unit or is an IMA, she does. The Selected Reserve has qualified for the NDSM since August 1990. Prior to that, it was active duty only.
It’s good that this LT has done her part to establish that women are not mindless, sex objects. I think that was best illustrated by the swimsuit contest.
I watched that part 4 or 5 times because I was so proud of them not being shown as sex objects or just being pretty faces.
I might have to watch a couple more times to be more proud.
Every time you watch stuff like that, just think about Preparation H. They use it on their faces.
Congratulations to her. Her comments aside, to win in any contest at that level takes a significant amount of personal effort. Being “the best” at anything is not easy. Better it went to a serving US Army reservist than somebody else. So far, her service is apparently honorable. Might she one day find out that she’s not as strong as she believes, either individually or as a gender? Sure. But she’s not lying about her service or misrepresenting it, and that is all that the readership usually requires.
Although I prefer Roger Staubach.
But not in a bikini, right?
Only in a Cowboys Jersey. I stopped watching the Cowboys when he quit playing…
I’d hit it.
I was waiting for that.
Hell you’d hit ’em all…..;-)
I’d hit ’em all too. I just need lots of Vitamin D and some viagra.
And save your energy. Like the old bull and the young bull standing on a hill overlooking a herd of heifers. The young bull says, “Hey pops, lets run down there and screw a couple of them heifers?” To which the old bull responds, “What say we walk down and screw ’em all?”
Shit I’d Hit it… but my ball would get cut off
LAY THAT PIPE! LAY THAT PIPE!
Any dedicated tit freak such as myself is going to vote for Ms. Maryland, with half a boob hanging out.
As for the winner’s “dedication”, oh hell yea….we are supposed to buy that lame bullshit???? Dedication my ass….when you want to forgo your piddly two days a month for instead traveling around the world repeating that now-famous look that says, “Muthrforker, I could of had a V 8!!”
She knows and cares enough about leadership and a woman’s ability to handle real life combat as I do about breeding carp.
If Obamy had a gay son, well you know the rest.
Yeah, that’s kind of ridiculous. Two whole days a month and she can’t make it to that? Seriously?
I could understand if once or twice in the next year she couldn’t make it, but there’s no reason she should need to take a break for the whole year if she really was dedicated to her role. (Especially as a “commander”)
Agreed. And unless her ROTC contract requires either full-time active duty or TPU service after commissioning, she could always request to be moved to the IRR for the year she’s Miss USA.
I’m hoping the new SECARMY has enough gumption to tell the lady she either serves within the established regs or ponies up the money to repay Uncle Sam for her scholarship. But I’m not holding my breath.
When I was drilling as a CPT on a BDE staff, I was commuting from my civilian job at Ft. Huachuca to Western Massachusetts via my apartment in New Hampshire once a month to make drills. I left Arizona on Friday morning and got to my armory late Friday night, then left NH early Monday morning so that I could get back to Huachuca in time to get some work done on Monday afternoon. The drill check essentially covered plane tickets. Even though I was just a staff guy, I didn’t want to let me unit down by making excuses about missing drills every month. I can’t imagine that the schedules for parades and speaking events would preclude drill attendance.
Army made you pay for your own airfare? Back in the 80’s I had a guy working for me who was a LCDR in a Naval Reserves intel unit in San Diego. He lived in Gulf Shores, AL. Once a month the Navy dispatched the military version of a DC-9 from NAS Jacksonville which hopscotched across the country picking up reservists at NAS Pensacola, NAS Belle Chasse, NAS Dallas and points beyond all the way to San Diego. Then it flew the reverse route on Sunday evening.
I always wondered about the cost effectiveness of that.
Back in the 1980s, DoD had money.
For the last three years before I retired from the USAR, my commute was from Minneapolis, MN to Louisville, KY. I then rented a car and drove for an hour to Fort Knox. I got checked into the DVQ on post by 10 pm Friday night. 6 am the next morning, I woke up, got dressed, and prepared to train soldiers for the weekend.
My drill pay covered about half my expenses. I enjoyed what I was doing and finally retired after 26 years, AD and USAR.
I was lucky to make it to retirement however.
http://www.jvolstad.com/story.pdf
Glad you made it out of your battle alive JimV. I have seen firsthand so many that didn’t.
A positive attitude is essential in the recovery process.
If there’s one thing I’m proud of from my 22 year career in law enforcement, it’s all of the potential murderers (drunk drivers) I took off the road.
I wonder why they didn’t ask her about drafting women. Now that would be empowering.
She would have avoided the question.
Good for her winning the pageant but she does not strike me as a strong officer.
And I am sure she is just as tough as an Infantryman. Those nails of her are as hard as rocks….
Here’s today’s PP training:
Nice shoes. I wonder why she didn’t wear combat boots.
with them skinny laigs, combat boots would drag her down like concrete mukluks on a mobster. There ain’t enough meat there for Buffalo wings. Bring out a real woman, not an anorexic. Joe Tex would said she was too skinny.
I’m with you on that. I like women to look like women, with hips and thighs and all the trimmings.
Ditto. Being with her would be like being with a stick figure. She needs about + 30-40 pounds. She has a pretty face, but is way too skinny. Stick figure women are cheap to feed, however. Give them a celery stalk and they are good to go. They’re going to throw it up in half an hour anyway.
Strange, isn’t it? The camera supposedly adds 10 pounds, and that’s about all she weighs, anyway.
She’d be better off getting a job as a runway model. It’s probably about all she’s really good for, and pays a whole lot better than the Army. And besides, there’s all that attention.
She’s not tall enough for a runway model. She’s only 5’10”. Runway models have to be at least 6’2″.
I worked with a former beauty queen at Ft. Huachuca. Name and State of representation will not be given out in the interest of privacy. As a Signal officer, I’d have to honestly say she was… adequate. Nothing stellar or problematic, just functional. And this one wants to take two years off? Resign your commission. We’ve seen your commitment. You’re no longer needed.
I’ve worked with models as well in my career. Most of them fit it in around doing their Army Reserve duties. They didn’t let it impact too much.
It can be done, but they have to be dedicated and want to make the adjustments to their schedule.
As was posted up above, being in the Army Reserve was just an addition to her resume so she could get ahead in her own priorities. Its a part-time job that she doesn’t need anymore so she’s done with it.
This one was active duty. She never quite grasped the fact that nobody really cared that she was Miss *redacted*. All the troops saw was an average 2LT that remained average.
Morning PT run at Fort Bragg circa 1975:
I don’t want no Beauty Queen!
All I want’s my M-16 !
Honestly, I get the feeling that we’re all going to regret her appointment. And soon. She just has that vibe.
She continued: “We are just as tough as men. As a commander of my unit, I’m powerful, I am dedicated and it is important that we recognize that gender does not limit us in the United States.”
No, we just ignore the obvious and allow under qualified people before more qualified people in order to make slugs that would never join feel good.
A bar with a power trip? Shocking……
I’m thinking full battle rattle is a little heavier than the sparkly dress, crown and flowers.
Congrats on her winning, though.
As the father of a prior service and 60% disabled Veteran daughter with the many of the same model credentials including getting hit on by every damn GI on her duty station, including several officers & superior NCO’s I have to say that you guys bitch too much…
Seeing a woman like that in a command does many good things for the men and women serving with them.
She’s a beautiful woman, a bit too skinny for me and others around here, but good for her for winning this title.
It’s not an easy thing to do no matter what anyone says.
Yep, like all GI’s, you bitch too fucking much…
Sit the fuck down, shut the fuck up, get the damn popcorn out and enjoy the goldamn show for crying out loud…
I reckon it’s that “obligation” thing which may have some of us on her case.
That word just doesn’t mean what it used to…
Yep.
The “lady” signed on the dotted line. If her civilian employment conflicts with TPU participation, she can request a transfer to the IRR – unless TPU participation is mandated by her ROTC contract/obligation.
If she’s got an ADSO, tough. That comes first.
[…] The Quinton Report: Baltimore May Require Warning Labels On Soda This Ain’t Hell: Lieutenant Deshauna Barber, Miss USA Weasel Zippers: Two Groups Of Sandernistas Beat Each Other Up, Each Thinking The Other Supports […]
“We are just as tough as men.”
I used think that when I was a young lieutenant her age. I learned, and she will, too (I hope).