FORT STEWART, Ga. - Fort Stewart now has a new celebrity in its midst in the form of Kellie Dudley, who took the top spot in Fort Stewart's Operation Rising Star competition Tuesday night at Rocky's Zone.
The winner was selected by a combination of judges selection results and attendee voting. Each attendee was given a blue card on which they could cast their vote for their favorite contestant.
Since the show was broadcast live on Marne TV, voters could also support their favorite competitor through the Third Infantry Division Facebook page. The results were close, with only 16 Facebook votes separating Dudley from Sgt. Lawrence Lee, who placed second in the competition. Third place went to Staff Sgt. Lartee Meadows, a finance NCO with 24th Financial Management Detachment, Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, Third Infantry Division.
Dudley had a crowd of supporters, complete with posters, from the 26th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team throughout the entire competition. Their support earned them the show's spirit award three weeks in a row.
"I truly don't have the words for their support," Dudley said. "I truly felt blessed that they were all here."
She added that she was surprised, but elated by the results.
"Every contestant did an amazing job, and each one was deserving to win," said Dudley, who is married to 1st Lt. Ryan Dudley, a maintenance control officer with 26th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd ID.
Sergeant Lee, a supply sergeant with 632nd Maintenance Company, 87th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, Third Infantry Division, admitted he was disappointed, but took the results in stride.
"It's the technological age," he said, but I don't take anything from anyone in the competition. Everybody who made it to the finals deserved to be here."
The competition was stiff. Each singer came into the finals singing vastly different songs from the prior week. Some, like Family Member LaTonya Pruitt and Bria Caruthers, had Family Members in the audience cheering them on. Pruitt's husband was even wiping away a tear as she performed. Lee, on the other hand, dedicated his song, "Don't Change," to his son and daughter, who live in Florida. He had surprised them on an episode of TLC Surprise Homecoming last spring when his unit returned from Iraq.
"In my mind and my heart, it was for my kids," he said. "They're growing up and doing different things."
Dudley is now eligible to compete in the Army-wide semi-final live Operation Rising Star competition, which will take place at Fort Belvoir, Va. A packet, which will include a video, her acapella performance and final performance will be sent to a selection committee in the Army Entertainment Division, which will choose the top 12. Those selected will travel to Fort Belvoir in November to perform live on the Pentagon Channel.
"I don't know what to expect, but just like this one, I'll go in with the same excitement," Dudley said.
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