Active-duty US Air Force F-16 pilot makes history after being crowned Miss America

A second lieutenant in the US Air Force has made history by becoming the first active-duty USAF officer to be crowned Miss America.

F-16 pilot Madison Marsh won the title of Miss America at a ceremony in Orlando, Florida.

2Lt Marsh, a 2023 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in physics, represented the state of Colorado.

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"Congratulations to our very own airman," the US Air Force tweeted after she clinched the crown.

During her time at the academy, 2Lt Marsh passed out as an officer and was selected to be a pilot.

The pageant queen learned to become a pilot when she was just 16 years old. She used this experience in the talent round of the pageant, as she presented a spoken-word piece on receiving her licence at such a young age.

She is currently pursuing her Master's in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Following her mother's death in 2018 from pancreatic cancer, 2Lt Marsh turned her efforts to cancer research, founding the Whitney Marsh Foundation, and raising more than $250,000 for cancer research.

 As a graduate intern at Harvard Medical School, she uses artificial intelligence to detect pancreatic cancer. 

2Lt Marsh told the Harvard Crimson that pageantry "really relates to the military a lot because you're serving but in a different way".

"When I put on my uniform, I serve and I represent our country," she explained. "When I put on the crown and sash, I’m serving, representing my community."

The USAF pilot credits her achievements to her time in the US Air Force.

 "I don't think I ever would have become Miss Colorado without the Air Force Academy because they have trained me and honed in on my leadership," she told the Harvard Crimson.