LONDON (AFP) – A former Miss England may be deployed in Afghanistan as early as next year after she returned to the Army following her term as a beauty queen.
Corporal Katrina Hodge, who has already served in Iraq, swapped active duty for the glitz and glamour of the catwalk when she took the title last January.
But she has now handed over her crown and is back on exercise in Army fatigues preparing for a possible tour of war-torn Afghanistan.
The married soldier, decorated for her bravery in Basra, today insisted she was glad to be back in the forces and ready to take on the challenge.
"At the end of the day, it's my job. If that's what I've got to do, then that's what I've got to do," she said.
"It's hard to be excited about going to Afghanistan but it's the reality of our job. Our job is be out there, protecting our country."
Corporal Hodge, 24, tied the knot with husband Neil - a soldier whose surname cannot be disclosed for security reasons - in a secret ceremony in Sri Lanka in June.
Three months later, when her spell as Miss England came to an end, she joined a new regiment and was thrown back into Army life.
This involved a month on exercise and tough training to get her up to speed.
"I'm not going to lie, it was hard to come back," she said.
"It's definitely a change of lifestyle from having your hair and make-up done every day to being in your combats and having your hair scraped back. I was thrown in at the deep end and realised that this was reality.
(AP)
한글요약
비키니 벗고 아프간 전쟁터로 돌아간 미스 잉글랜드
2009 미스 잉글랜드에서 1위를 차지했고 란제리 모델인 카트리나 호지 상병(24)이 자신이 군무했던 영국의 부대로 복귀해 아프가니스탄 전선으로 돌아가게 됐다.
카트리나는 18세에 군 입대해 이라크로 파병되어 많은 공로로 훈장을 받아 군 내에서는 이미 유명한 인물이다.
카트리나는 애초 미스 잉글랜드 선발대회에서 2위에 뽑혔으나 1위를 차지했던 레이츨 크리스티가 나이트 클럽 폭행 시비에 휘말려 왕관을 반납하는 바람에 ‘미스 잉글랜드’ 자리를 이어받게 된 것.
카트리나는 지난 2005년 이라크에 파병돼 전장을 누비던중에 어려움에 빠진 동료를 구해내는 전공을 세워 무공훈장을 받는 등 미모의 여전사로도 유명해졌다.
그녀의 별명은 '전투바비"로 이미 군인인 남편을 둔 유부녀이다.
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