- Few people in our state could ever hope to win a competition to be crowned Miss Wyoming, not just once, but twice, but that's what Beck Bridger did.

She's also a sergeant in the U.S. Army, and once upon a time, she won a pile of cash on a nationally televised TV game show.

I'm Steve Peck of Wyoming PBS, we'll meet Miss Wyoming, Sergeant Rebecca Bridger.

This is "Wyoming Chronicle".

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- Once upon a time, the idea of being both a military service member and a beauty pageant queen might have sounded farfetched, but today's "Wyoming Chronicle" guest has exploded that old school misconception.

A beauty queen who's an army sergeant, it really can be done, and Beck Bridger proves it every day.

We're very pleased today to have Sergeant Rebecca Bridger with us who has a sort of a second identity as Beck Bridger.

You are a U.S. Army National Guard Sergeant.

You also happen to be Miss Wyoming USA.

We're here at the Wyoming State Capitol, you've been spending some time here for the past couple of days, haven't you?

- Yes, I have, it's been such an honor.

You know, I never thought that I would be here as Miss Wyoming USA, and also as a sergeant representing the Wyoming Army National Guard.

So it's an honor to come here and sing the national anthem- - Sing the national anthem, I think we have some footage of that.

♪ Gave proof through the night ♪ That our flag was still there ♪ ♪ Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ O'er the land of the free ♪ And the home of the brave ♪ The brave (audience applauding) You did it twice yesterday, right?

- I did, two times in one day and it's such a blessing to do it for the House and the Senate.

- I know from setting up our interview schedule with you, you're a busy person.

And you sing lots of national anthems, not just in Wyoming, correct?

- Yeah, so actually I have a goal this year of hitting 50 national anthems.

It sounds a little crazy but right now I'm also on my sixth national anthem of 2024.

So it's been really fun to honor the state and the country singing and representing the stripes.

- Recently you were in Nashville?

- [Beck] Yes.

- How did that come about?

- Yeah, so it's actually really crazy, I feel like the opportunities that I've had within the military have also opened doors for other opportunities for me to sing outside of the state.

So I have a good friend who owns a hunting brand called Desire, and I had the opportunity of flying with the Desire Team to sing the National Anthem at the SCI Hunting Expo.

- You are distinctive among the pageantry, is that the term we've used for it?

You participate in pageantry?

- Yeah.

- The term Miss Wyoming sounds straightforward enough, but there's a bit more to it than meets the eye and the ear.

And over the past five years, Beck Bridger has taken full advantage.

You have the title of Miss Wyoming USA, there's also another Miss Wyoming title, which is Miss Wyoming America and I think I'm right in saying if you're a Miss Wyoming America, then you compete in the Miss America pageant, Miss Wyoming USA, you compete in the Miss USA pageant, and you would know because you've held both those titles, correct?

- Yes, I have held both titles and it's been an incredible honor to serve the state as both representatives.

I had the opportunity of competing at Miss America 2019 and then recently just competed at Miss USA in October.

- So very few people are ever gonna have opportunity to appear in either one of those, what's the difference between the two of them or is there much of one?

- You know, there is a huge difference.

And after competing at Miss America and then kind of comparing that experience to Miss USA, one thing that is the same as the comradery, the spirit between each competitor and also the sisterhood that you find.

But the ultimate differences that I've experienced is that I feel that Miss America is a little bit more scholastic while Miss USA very scholastic but also really champions the entertainment industry.

So as someone who is a musician and loves being on stage, we had so many fabulous sponsors who were willing to work with us to kind of up our game.

And so as someone who likes to be on stage, I had a great opportunity.

I got some veneers, so that's exciting.

I got some hair sponsorship, makeup tutorials from TV and film crews.

So both experiences were invaluable.

But overall, I have really loved my Miss USA experience.

- [Steve] It's fun, I presume it, it sounds like it.

- You know, if you love sparkles and dressing up and all of those sort of things, you will love Miss USA and you also will love it too if you compete for Miss America.

I loved both pageant experiences and they're both fabulous.

I met so many incredible women, who were really working hard to change and impact the world.

And it's really how you turn your experience and make it for the best.

- People might have some stereotypical image of what the pageants are but for a long time now, decades really, they've been about a lot more than marching around on stage with judges looking you over.

I mean, that's a smaller of it now.

- Yes, you know, it's fascinating because the first time I competed at Miss Wyoming, I won and I did have to compete in swimsuit.

And I remember thinking, this is something that's so scary, I don't know if I can do it but what was so incredible was the transformation.

I had worked every single day incredibly hard, I showed up at the gym every single day, I got super healthy and I felt really empowered when I was on stage competing in my swimsuit.

And what's so fascinating though is, three years later, after going through the military and then competing at Miss Wyoming USA, my mind shifted from being, you know, wow, I've worked out to now being a strong woman in the military and being physically fit was a little bit more of the platform that I was adopting as I competed for Miss Wyoming USA.

- It's been, at least since the 70s, I know that that element of pageantry has been somewhat controversially.

I think Miss America has moved a little bit farther away from it maybe than Miss USA has.

- Yes.

- But just generally speaking, what you're saying is it's part of it and you found positives in it.

- Absolutely, I think everything in life, you have to really adapt your perspective and show up for the right intention.

And I believe that if you have a goal and you set your mind to it, you can accomplish it.

And especially with the Miss Wyoming USA competition, it's really hard and cutthroat.

And same with Miss USA, all those girls worked incredibly hard.

We had physical trainers sponsored to us.

And so what was so empowering about that was I felt like I had a really great crew who was empowering me along each step of the way.

And one thing that I'm really proud about myself for is staying true to who I was on the Miss USA stage, I went out there to represent the state of Wyoming and also being a soldier.

- You said it's not all that uncommon for military personnel to compete in pageants.

You weren't the only one.

- No, I'm not the only one, actually.

I have followed in the footsteps of many other women who have paved the way for women in the military and pageantry.

There's many title holders who were in the military.

There's a Miss USA Deshauna Barber who was the first active duty Miss USA, and then now our current brand new Miss America, who has just crowned, is in the Air Force.

So it's really fun to be changing the narrative and advocating for women in pageantry and in the military.

- You're a singer, is there still a talent segment element in these pageants?

- You know, so it's crazy because Miss USA actually doesn't have a talent portion of competition.

And that's a huge reason why I was nervous to compete because I kind of lean on talent as a singer.

And when I knew that I wouldn't have that to lean on, I kinda wondered how am I gonna make this work?

So I had to work hard in every other area; interview, evening gown, swimsuit, my platform.

I had to really spend some time carving out the why and the intention behind each so that when I showed up on stage, they could really feel the heart behind my why.

And then in the interview, they knew that I was a singer because I made sure they knew.

- Now in the Miss Wyoming pageant, did you sing?

- I did sing.

- So it does still have that- - Yes, in Miss America, talent is a huge part of the competition.

- So there's a difference.

- There is a huge difference, yes.

And I really wish that there was a talent in Miss USA but it was great to compete with different circumstances.

- What got you interested in military service?

It's part of a general kind of service obligation that you're feeling?

- Yeah, so since I was little, I've always been inspired by my dad who has a heart for public service.

He's currently the mayor of the city of Sheridan, Wyoming right now.

- [Steve] What's his name?

- Rich Bridger, he's great, he's my hero, along with my mom, who also served as a psychiatric VA nurse.

And so at a young age, I was always driven to serve and I always was around those different events, so it was a great opportunity for me to learn.

And I lived in LA for one year, I decided to move home to Wyoming because every single girl or guy has to leave Sheridan and feel like they have to get out of Wyoming but then I really felt that call to come home and to serve.

And so I competed for Miss Wyoming and that's really when I decided to kinda put myself out there and it was after I passed my title of Miss Wyoming that I said, "I wanna keep serving the state of Wyoming "but how will I do that?

"And how will I align my passion for singing, music, "and serving?"

And so it was funny because I was typing in all these things and I was like, "How am I gonna do this?

"I don't know."

And then all of a sudden it said, audition for the 67th Army Band Wyoming Zone.

And so I auditioned for the band, I failed my first time and then after a second attempt I passed and my next ticket to the U.S. Army School of Music was in my hands.

- So here you are, an accomplished singer, but you didn't make it your first time out.

But if people haven't seen a military band perform, they might not have any idea how great they are.

And these are people that are in service, armed services want talented musicians because what they do is important and they have to be good.

- Yeah, exactly.

And so, you know, a lot of the fellow soldiers that I went to the School of Music with actually have degrees, masters, doctorates.

They're already well accomplished musicians, and so it makes the School of Music that much more competitive.

There was only two vocalists while I was attending, so we got to split everything between all the performances.

But it was an incredible opportunity to learn from really talented musicians around the country.

And then to bring that knowledge home and those pieces that I learned from all the instructors was invaluable.

- Where does this training happen?

- Yeah, so the U.S. Army School of Music is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

So I flew after basic combat training, I flew to Virginia Beach, Virginia.

I had my ruck sag and all my gear and then we were in the School of Music for the remainder of my training.

- So it's easier duty than a combat unit has but you still went through basic training, right?

Just like everybody else.

- [Beck] Yeah, so one of the things I tell everybody that I talk to is that I'm proudly a soldier first, serving the country.

And so what's so special is that we have the opportunity to learn all the things.

We go through basic training, we learn land nab, we qualify on our weapons, we do all of those things.

And we're soldiers first, which means that our mission really is to bridge the gap from soldier to civilian.

And so if duty calls, then we will also be the ones to answer that as well.

- That's a good way to put it, bridging that gap.

What does the band that you are in do say, in the course of a calendar year, typically, in terms of performance and exposure?

- It's a huge year of performing, especially for me as the vocalist.

I'm the first vocalist and that, for me, I think that means the first trained one who's graduated the school with that certificate in hand.

And so right off the bat, we have the governor's reception that our whole band comes and performs at.

We do the Wyoming, I think we did the Border War football game.

Yes, and then we also go on tour promoting the band for different schools so that any high school potential musicians can start to think about auditioning if they're ready for that.

- We happen to be speaking to you in the middle of February, tomorrow is Valentine's Day on the cal we're on but you're about to start a tour.

- Yeah, so what I've learned from last year, we went to Sheridan, we were in Cheyenne, we're at Laramie, and then this year will be Riverton, Evanston.

So it sounds like we'll rotate from different areas of Wyoming so that we can create some more exposure for students across Wyoming.

- You tend to do a concert after an evening sort of show, or do you go into schools as well and work with students?

What's that experience like?

- It's a bit of both, we have some soldiers who are also teachers, and so we have really great connections with the teachers at these high schools.

So we're able to go in, do some one-on-one time, and then we might have one full performance in the evening.

But it was really special because my first year last year, we sang and performed at my hometown, Sheridan, our whole community came out for it which was such a blessing.

- What kind of music does the band do or does it limit itself in any way?

- Right, so our band, I believe, is made up of almost 30 soldiers right now.

We have a ceremonial band and then we have different musical performance teams within that big overarching band.

And so I am a part of the rock band, and so we basically go out and perform different genres of music.

There's also a jazz band, there's like a quintet, all different kind of bands.

And so really these shows though, they're meant to bring people in.

So we'll have anything from musical theater, right now we're doing a lot of "Star Wars", so yeah.

- The admission price to the military band performances is zero.

I've seen several; state level, national, regional, national level bands.

Boy, they're just so good, it must be fun.

- Yeah, so at the U.S. Army School of Music, they teach us so much about performance techniques and we have the opportunity of bringing that back to our unit and working with all these incredible musicians has really given me so much to take home and then also to share with other young musicians too.

- Performance technique, so what's an example of something say that you didn't do or didn't know very much about that you learned in the specific training that you had?

- Yeah, so I learned so much.

I had an incredible instructor, a vocal instructor at the School of Music who was just so spunky and fun.

Her name was Sergeant Windham, she's amazing.

But she always told me in my music, first note, first step.

And I had no idea what that meant but anytime you're about to sing a chorus, there's a powerful moment where you can actually step on stage and it makes it that much more powerful when you're performing instead of just standing in one place the whole time you're singing.

So she really loved the idea of getting around the stage and I really feel that that's something that has impacted my performance strategy because I used to be a little bit nervous in moving around but now I just wanna move around and I don't wanna stand still.

I know when the right times to move around are and I have a really good idea about when the song starts to where it ends, where I need to be.

If I shouldn't repeat any movements that I've done, just to make it different throughout each song.

- That's interesting, I mean, other military personnel get specific training in different sorts of fields and that's one way to look at this.

- Yeah, it was really fun.

At the School of Music, Sergeant Windham had me jump off a chair and I remember being like, "I don't wanna jump off a chair."

And she's like, "You gotta do it girl, "it's gonna be amazing."

And so when the chorus hit, I ended up jumping off the chair with my mic and then I was just rocking out and all my friends 'cause we performed for each other at the very end of our training.

All my friends were like, "Wow, that was so good."

So I really did push the limits for my own performance and now I do feel like I am kind of not the best yet 'cause I think that there's always room for improvement but I really feel that I'm a stronger performer now than I ever have been.

- So the National Guard is a little different from active duty but how long would you expect to remain in service?

- I really love serving, so I wanna be for lifer.

- Really?

- Yes, I do.

And I'm really grateful to all the men and women who have served our country and have gone before me.

I have so many mentors in the military who have sacrificed their lives to serving and it's something that I don't take lightly.

And so I really want to pursue this for the rest of my life.

- Just say it's unlikely Of course, but you're a sergeant in the army, you could be called into different kinda duty.

It's not outta the question, correct?

- Yes, correct.

And I think that anybody who takes that oath understands that.

- A military unit draws all kinds of different sorts of people in it.

How did your military friends and acquaintances and colleagues feel about you being Miss Wyoming when they found out and how did they find out?

Is that something you made clear to them right off the bat?

- You know, it's so funny because when I went to basic combat training, everybody said, "Don't tell the drill sergeants anything.

"Don't tell them you're Miss Wyoming."

And so I thought, "Okay, I'm not gonna say anything."

So for the longest I didn't say anything.

I had the opportunity of competing for the position of distinguished leader.

What was so funny was that I really wanted to win and there's this piece where you have to tell 30 seconds about yourself.

And the minute that I said, "And I'm a former Miss Wyoming."

One of the drill sergeants goes, "No way."

And he googles my photo and we're not even allowed to see phones at this point in basic training.

Googles my face, he's like, "This is you, Trainee?"

I was like, "Yes, Drill Sergeant, that's me."

- And you'd been there how long by then?

- This is the the very end.

- [Steve] So weeks and weeks and it never came out?

- No, because I was told not to say anything.

And so when everyone found out, they were like, "We can't believe we have a pageant queen at basic."

- [Steve] Sometimes Beck Bridger's two worlds do bump against each other.

In 2023, she appeared on a nationally televised game show right in the middle of her army training.

Was it worth the effort?

Very.

- This is a crazy story.

When I was at Basic Leader course, I had the opportunity to audition for a Fox TV show.

And so I went up to my sergeant, I said, "Sergeant, I have this crazy opportunity."

He goes, "What Sergeant?"

And I said, "I'm being auditioned for a Fox TV show.

"Can I audition in my barracks room?"

And he goes, "I can't believe this, what do you do?

"Who are you?"

And so I go, "I really need to audition, "I wanna really make it on the show."

And so long story short, I ended up getting cast in this "Don't Forget The Lyrics" Fox TV show.

And the coolest part was that when I entered on stage, they flashed a photo of me in my dress uniform and a photo of me as Miss Wyoming, so that was really the catalyst of this storytelling.

And then it was one month after that I competed for Miss Wyoming USA.

- All right, tell us how it went on "Don't Forget The Lyrics".

- Yeah, so "Don't Forget The Lyrics" is a really fun game show.

You have the opportunity to compete to win a million dollars.

You basically get out on stage and you get the option of choosing karaoke songs based on the genre.

So the first genre I chose, I believe was rock.

And the song flashes on the screen, you're singing it and then all of a sudden the words stop and it's your job to fill the words in.

And then you basically climb up this money ladder.

So I made it to $75,000 and then I forgot one lyric to song, so it dropped to $25,000.

So I did get to take home 25K.

- No kidding, okay.

- Yes, and then the biggest piece that I had prayed for was just that my story could be used to be a light for people all around the nation who tuned in.

So you can actually tune into that episode now, it's on Hulu.

It's called the Battle Ready Beauty Queen.

- You said you wanted the national TV audience to hear your story.

And I know that an element of the pageant competition as well, since talent is no longer part of it, the platform I believe was the term you used.

What is that element and how is it used in the competition?

- Yeah, so each woman has the opportunity to create a platform for themselves that they advocate for.

Whether this is something that they've already been working towards, whether it's starting a nonprofit or really advocating for different organizations that they're passionate about.

I really wanted to start advocating for women in the military, so I created the Warrior Women Project, it's a platform that provides tips, tricks and resources to women entering the military.

I found this really dire need for more resources for women in that in-between phase, because I was in that phase for so long before I had shipped to basic that I just needed a little bit more guidance from other females.

And also at basic training, I just felt like, you know, sometimes the resources were a little bit slim for feminine products.

So the Warrior Women Project really stands behind supporting women at basic combat training and also when they head back to their units.

- How's that been going for you?

- It's been incredible, I really feel that all the opportunities that I've had the opportunity of even stepping into, I've been pulling up a chair for other women at the table, just like the other women have done for you know, other women who are paving that path as well.

And going out, my mission is really to kind of change that narrative.

And so for example, this week being here at the Capitol, singing the national anthem in my dress uniform for the House.

And then in the same day coming back as Miss Wyoming singing.

And so it's that idea of confidently stepping out into both pursuits of your heart.

- You'd mentioned to me off camera that adoption is an issue that's important to you as well.

How and why?

- Yeah, so adoption is a huge piece of my story.

I was adopted at a young age, at birth, by two incredibly loving parents who were not able to have kids.

And so I've threaded that story throughout my entire timeline.

It was really part of my platform the first time I was Miss Wyoming, and now more than ever, that adoption and identity story has allowed me to now advocate for women who aren't quite sure where they are called to.

And so really ultimately my goal in everything that I'm doing is to pursue women to pursue the callings of their hearts.

- So while you were doing this, you're at various times sort of overlapping.

You're competing, you're getting ready to compete, you're training, you're singing, you're thinking about your platform, issues that are important to you.

And it wasn't exactly totally smooth sailing for you behind the scenes either.

You had some family crises that you were working through simultaneously.

- My mom was diagnosed with stage four cancer before I shipped to basic combat training.

And that was really challenging because I had to navigate the idea that what if I didn't see her again?

And so throughout her chemotherapy, I was at basic combat training, not even able to communicate with her.

So there was that sense of desperation while I was at basic combat training.

And I had to hold on to hope in many ways that I never had to before because I didn't know if I would see her again.

And she's so strong in who she is that she wanted me to continue on regardless of whether she might not have made it or not.

She finally did heal from cancer but now we're navigating challenging storms as her health is rapidly declining.

And so, it's been so interesting because I've been in the hardest years of my life, caretaking for my mom at home.

Yet I've had some of the most incredible experiences and I believe that through those moments of caretaking and desperation and healing that there's been so much transformation.

And I really believe that sometimes we have to fall back to ourselves and we have to kind of have that quiet space and we have to care for our family even when it's hard.

And there's a theme that I have found for myself and that really is resiliency through it all.

And so, it's been so inspiring to see my family come together, to caretake for my mom.

And we have great things in store.

I am engaged, Gabe Dahmke is his name, but we actually moved our wedding to May 24th, 2024.

So I'll get married in three months, but in the hope that my mom might be able to make it.

And so we understand that the circumstances may change but we also believe that in her heart, she wants that for us and I just can't help but feel grateful through it all.

- Sergeant Rebecca Bridger, Miss Wyoming, Beck Bridger, the same person sitting right here.

- Yes.

- I've really enjoyed talking to you, it took a while for us to get this together.

I'm glad that we did.

Best of luck to you and thanks for being with us on "Wyoming Chronicle".

- Thank you, great honor.

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