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PETA names sexiest vegetarian troops

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has named Army Warrant Officer Erich Allen, of Fort Rucker, Ala., as the U.S. military’s “sexiest vegetarian.”

“Erich is an outstanding example of vegetarians who earn their stripes every time they sit down to eat,” said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, in announcing the results of their worldwide search.

“Since I stopped eating meat, I have noticed an increase in my energy and I am able to better control my weight,” Allen told PETA. He said people often expect vegetarians to be less active than meat eaters, and he enjoys proving that he “can run as fast, push as much, and fight as hard as the next soldier.”

The organization also notes Allen’s love for animals: His dog, Vienna, is a stray that he adopted.

PETA received about 100 entries from military personnel, said spokeswoman Lindsay Rajt. “We could only pick five winners, but all entrants are heroes to Americans and to animals,” she said.

The sexy vegetarians will receive a PETA T-shirt and a goody basket with cookies, dark chocolate, and vegan jerky.

While Allen was the overall “sexiest vegetarian” service member, a winner also was named for each branch:

* Marine Lt. Col. Bob Lucius, assistant provost and dean of students for the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, Calif., became a vegetarian after seeing a dog slaughtered for food in a Vietnamese café. He recently returned from a three-year tour of duty as the Naval and Marine attaché in Hanoi, Vietnam, and now volunteers for the Monterey County SPCA.

* Katie Adams, a Coast Guard petty officer third class stationed in Barnegat Light, N.J., has been a vegetarian ever since she watched a documentary on “how they torture animals” before killing them for human consumption, she told PETA.

* Jane Taylor, a former Navy lieutenant who resigned her commission in September to pursue a career in animal rescue, has set sail on the research vessel Steve Irwin as part of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The ship is named for the late host of television’s popular “Crocodile Hunter” series.

* Air Force 2nd Lt. Gina Lewis, stationed at Hurlburt Field, Fla., has been a vegetarian since she was 6, when she said she realized that Bambi and his mother were no different from other animals killed for food. The former model has completed four marathons since entering the Air Force, proving wrong those who told her she wouldn’t be able to maintain her vegetarian lifestyle in the military. She has cared for rescue animals at every duty assignment, and hopes to convince the Air Force to switch to leather-free combat boots.