Theresa Vail

Miss Kansas, Theresa Vail, was named “America’s Choice” and finished in the top 10 of the pageant, held in Atlantic City. She made headlines as the first contestant to display tattoos in the pageant.
In 2009, she was 19 and the lone female mechanic in a motor pool near Kansas City, where she suffered verbal sexual harassment and “inappropriate comments.” Her advice to female soldiers in similar situations: “Raise hell about it,” said Vail, now 22. “You need to stand up for yourself because nobody’s going to do it for you. I knew even at 19 that this was unacceptable.” Vail at first went to her commander, who sided with her co-workers, she said, “because I was the new girl.” Then she went over her commander’s head and was allowed to transfer out of the the unit. The comments come amid growing scrutiny in Congress and the public of the military’s sexual harassment and assault problem. It’s generally held that many victims do not report for fear of retaliation. She said that, recently, Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli, the adjutant general of the Kansas National Guard, approached her to appear in public service announcements about the issue.