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From combat boots to high heels -- 419th Reservist crowned Ms. America's Touch of Class

  • Published
  • By Brian Magaña
  • 419th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, UT --  This July, Staff Sgt. Eileen Safford of the 419th Maintenance Operations Flight put away her combat boots and busted out a pair of high heels to compete in Ms. America's Touch of Class pageant, taking home the title of Ms. America. 

The competition, held in Las Vegas, covered interview, swimsuit, evening gown, outfit of choice, and on-stage questions concerning current events. A panel of three judges crowned women in four divisions, including Miss, Miss Junior, Mrs. and Ms. America.
"I don't call myself a beauty queen," Sergeant Safford said. "I call myself a state representative." 

Sergeant Safford, a single mother of two, chose to compete in the Ms. America's TOC pageant because, unlike other Ms. America pageants, it is platform-based and emphasizes personality and confidence. 

"It's fun to play dress-up, but I like it because of the platform," Sergeant Safford said. "I wanted to promote something that I believe in, nowadays you just see a girl with a crown." 

Sergeant Safford hopes to use her crown to raise awareness of the effects of bullying in schools through a program she created called Child Abuse and Prevention with Peers in Schools. 

"I was bullied in school," she said. Sergeant Safford went through 42 foster homes from New York to California before meeting her adoptive parents, Stuart and Kathleen Peterson of Yuba City, Calif., at age 14. She regularly changed schools as a result. She said her foster parents "always found a fault." Her confidence was low and she didn't start reading until age 15, when she picked up Huck Finn. 

"I love going and speaking to youth in correctional custody or people in group homes, and I tell them there is a way out," Sergeant Safford said. 

She gained interest in pageants at age 16. Her adoptive parents encouraged her to compete to be a spokesperson in a local town festival, which she won. 

Since then, she has competed in about 30 pageants, winning two national titles. She has always used her crown to inspire young people who are in situations similar to her own, she said. 

"If you have passion to do something, you can," Sergeant Safford said. She said her adoptive parents instilled that sentiment. "They saw nothing but potential, they told me nothing was out of reach."

Sergeant Safford also credits her military experience for reaching that potential. She has been with the Air Force Reserve since 2004 and also served in the Army and the Air National Guard.

"My confidence level wouldn't have been this high if it wasn't for the military," said Sergeant Safford, who also promotes the benefits of the military in her lectures. "I try to bring the military into anything I do, because if it weren't for the military, I wouldn't be here."

Sergeant Safford, who is pursuing a nursing degree, said the military helped pay for schooling, which in turn gave her more confidence. She enjoys being a role model for women in the military, a role often associated with men.

"The military gives me my fulfillment for my country," Sergeant Safford said. "The platform gives me my fulfillment because I go to schools and talk about what I'm passionate about."

Over the next year, Sergeant Safford will lecture at schools and seminars for youth and women's groups, perform in parades, and mentor contestants in other pageants. She will also participate in events with her 14-year-old daughter, Sarah, the current Miss Teen Utah for Liberty Pageants.

"It's a sense of fulfillment," Sergeant Safford said. "Not just to have the crown and have your name called, but to work for something so hard and to promote something that you believe in."