DUCHESNE — War is ugly . . . with the notable exceptions of two Utah sisters.
An Iraq war veteran, Tiara Puro — the newly crowned Miss Duchesne County 2004 — has only been back home from Baghdad since May. The 2000 Union High graduate served overseas for 13 months as a corporal in the Utah National Guard's 1457th Combat Engineer Battalion.
Tiara, 22, said she saw her sister, Tambra, compete in the Miss Utah Pageant in June and decided to enter the Miss Duchesne County Scholarship Pageant in July.
For her part, Tambra, 19, was last year's Miss Duchesne County but was unable to personally pass on the tiara to Tiara because she was completing advanced camp leadership training in Fort Lewis, Wash.
Like her sister, Tambra joined the Utah National Guard while still in high school. A third-year military student, Tambra will graduate in spring 2005 as a second lieutenant in the Utah National Guard's Medical Corps.
The new Miss Duchesne County has received honors before. Tiara won several service medals during her five years in the Guard, where she serves as a paralegal. She will resume her studies as a sophomore at the University of Utah this fall.
Tiara swept this year's Miss Duchesne County pageant, earning the judges' votes in every category: evening gown, judge's interview, onstage question, swimsuit and talent (a vocal presentation, "Everybody Says Don't," written by Stephen Sondheim).
Tiara already has a jump start on the service platform she will be perfecting this year in preparation for the Miss Utah Pageant in June 2005. Her message and community education endeavor will center on "Heart2Heart, Sharing the Truth About Heart Disease."
The facts about heart disease in women astounded her, she told the judges. It is the leading cause of death among women, beating out every type of cancer as well as other diseases.
Tiara has already received national accolades for her commitment to educate others about the dangers of heart disease. One presentation to fellow Guard members in Baghdad brought a letter of commendation from first lady Laura Bush. Cpl. Tiara Puro was mentioned by name in Mrs. Bush's Feb. 4 weekly White House Web site address for her efforts among her peers.
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