A 26-year-old Army officer Deshauna Barber wins the Miss USA pageant, Miss USA 2016 crown.
Miss USA 2016 crown has been won by Miss District of Columbia during the Miss USA Beauty pageant on Sunday night. This has happened third time in history and first time in 14 years.
The 26 year old Army officer Deshauna Barber also works as an IT analyst for the Department of Commerce. She beat Miss Georgia and Miss Hawaii by taking home the coveted crown.
Deshauna Barber is a graduate of the Virginia State University. She became part of the US Army when she was only years old. Her parents and siblings have also served in the forces while her father has seen overseas deployment in the Middle East after 9/11 attacks.
In an interview, the new Miss USA said that serving in the Army is kind of a family tradition. It is something that is in her blood. She and her family are true patriots.
Miss USA 2016 bio data confirms that she is currently serving as a logistics commander in the 988th Quartermaster detachment in Fort Meade.
During the Miss USA pageant she was recognized by the announcers as the most highly disciplined contestant. She also stunned the viewers with her short and deliberate answers during the Q&A session. Most of the questions posed to her pertained to women in the Army.
One of the judges of the pageant asked her opinion regarding the Pentagon’s recent decision to open up all combat positions to women, and how she perceived it.
Barber replied without hesitation that she thought it was amazing the government had finally decided to integrate women in every aspect of the military. She further opined that women are as tough as men.
This earned her lots of cheers from the audience. She further said that as a commander of a unit, she was powerful and dedicated. It was very important to understand that gender does not limit the capacity of a person in anyway.
Miss USA 2016 effectively locked the crown for herself with these remarks. Even before the pageant, she had spoken about breaking a few taboos about women and soldiers.
She said that women can be as feminine as she could be and yet serve in the army for some really tough jobs. It’s basically about the person. It is not a rule that a fashion model cannot be a soldier. These are stereotypes that must be broken.
