Sunday, October 20, 2013

Ms Veteran American contestant battles PTSD

Retired Army mechanic vies for Ms. Veteran America
The Gazette
By Erin Prater
POSTED:10/20/2013
Pueblo West resident and retired Sgt. 1st Class Mitchelene
Big Man will compete in the Ms. Veteran America.
(Michael Ciaglo, The Gazette)

COLORADO SPRINGS — Mitchelene Big Man knows tough.

She has braved some of life's worst storms, including post-traumatic stress disorder and her son's suicide attempt.

Through it all, the proud American Indian and retired Army mechanic kept a brave face.

She'll don that brave face again when she takes the stage of the National Conference Center in Leesburg, Va., on Sunday as Colorado's only contestant in the second annual Ms. Veteran America competition.

But nerves abound. Big Man's biggest worry: negotiating the stage in a ball gown and heels.

"The competition is going to pull me out of my comfort zone, which is Timberlands, tennis shoes and jeans," said Big Man, 48, a Pueblo West resident who spent the bulk of her career in a world dominated by men.

"My husband said it's bringing out the warrior and the lady in me, that I'll be a woman of valor and glamour at the same time."
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