» Marines in Japan get grits, gravy ... and a visit from Miss USA
By Juliana Gittler, Stars and Stripes

TOKYO — One of the first things the Marines noticed, after the bright eyes and radiant smile, is that Miss USA Chelsea Cooley is down to earth. When you think celebrities, “you think that they’re not real people,” said Sgt. Timothy Dynys, one of the Marine Guards from the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo who had breakfast with the beauty queen Wednesday. “She eats real food. She’s down to earth and just a normal person.”

Cooley was in town as part of a trade promotion for textile companies in North Carolina, her home state. The expo was marketing biodegradable grain-based socks in Japan. As part of the visit, Cooley spent a few days in Tokyo, and the Marines volunteered to escort her. Dynys attended a press function with Cooley on Tuesday. “I was just surprised how relaxed and cool she was around so many people,” he said. On Wednesday, before jetting off to China, Cooley stopped by the Marine residence for a southern breakfast: grits, pancakes, eggs, biscuits and gravy. And lots of photos, autographs and laughs. “I do a lot of work with the USO (United Service Organizations) so it seemed fitting to come do this,” she said, noting that visiting the Marines was the best part of her trip. “I think it takes a very special type of person to do the work they do.”

Miss USA, Chelsea Cooley, meets with the Marine guards from the U.S.

Embassy in Tokyo during a visit to Japan. and poses with Cpl. Philip Swain (right)

At breakfast, Cooley talked about what it’s like to be Miss USA and the work she does. She also asked the Marines about where they came from and what they like about Japan. The hourlong visit was a rare treat for the Marines. “It’s one of those things, in the normal Marine Corps you don’t get to do this type of thing,” said Cpl. Samuel Perez, who besides being a guard, oversees food at the house and planned Wednesday’s breakfast. The Marines seldom sit down for a meal at all, much less one with a special guest, he added. He didn’t say too much to Cooley during breakfast, however. “My girlfriend told me to limit myself to 10 words,” he said. Most of the Marines were surprised that Cooley ate the hearty fare. She said visits like this help dispel the stereotypes about beauty queens being vacuous or starving themselves.

Gunnery Sgt. Luis Sanchez, the detachment commander, said he expected someone tall, stick-thin and possibly stuck-up. “She’s very down to earth,” he said. “We talked about her goals, her family. Her taking the time out to spend with us, and her personality, are not at all what I expected.”

Cpl. Brett Buonamici said he was aware of the stereotype and thought she’d be a normal person. But she was better than expected. “She got here and she was like a hot college girl,” he said. She is in fact a college girl, studying fashion marketing, according to her bio. Buonamici added that she broke his heart when she mentioned having a boyfriend. But despite that letdown, he and his fellow Marines shared a similar sentiment of their time with Miss USA: “It was a real cool experience.”

» Kudos & Did You Knows

- Kudos to our Miss Florida USA 2002 Shannon Ford as she and her dog Honey Bear competed in the Dog Halloween Costume Contest in New York City. It's a huge event with over 200 entries. Honey Bear was a Chia Pet and was 1st runner-up for Best Small Breed Costume as she poses with a very proud Ms. Ford. Way to go Shannon and Honey Bear!

- Kudos to our Miss Florida Teen USA 2006 Jennifer Wooten as she volunteered to participate in the Sterling House of Leesburg Adopt a Grandparent Program. What a great thing for Miss Wooten to do before the holidays. Way to make a difference Jennifer!

- Kudos to our friends at Pink Sneakers Productions in Orlando who last week got a “green light” for their MTV Series called “Beauty Pageants”. The pilot was shot at this past state teen pageant. Negotiations are underway with word coming soon on when the show will air and how many shows will be ordered. Stay tuned here for all your viewing information. Congratulations to all the hard working crew of Pink Sneakers!

» Pageant News Wanted!

Are you a titleholder or at large delegate who is making appearances or doing good things in the community? We would love to tell all of the Miss Florida USA Family your story. Send pictures and updates to telair@aol.com as we feature everything Miss Florida USA on Friday’s at Faces & Places.

» Alumni News Wanted!

If you know of any Miss Florida USA alumni in the news please drop us an email to feature them in future articles. Email all info to info@missfloridausa.com! Until next week here to good pageantry!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK!

Our hard working Picture of The Week Committee has only a few guidelines to go by in their

weekly selections. Guideline number two has it that any pageant titleholder who has her picture taken

with a silly mascot makes the cut. This week we have our Halley Wallace (newly crowned Miss Indiana Teen USA)

with an appropriately titled mascot called “Whatisthis?” Enjoy the pix!

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