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--> --> Associated Press Miss America Katie Harman speaks Wednesday after returning to Portland. Miss America returns to Oregon PORTLAND (AP) - Nearly a month after being crowned Miss America, Katie Harman has returned to her home state, happy to be back and apparently taking her historic reign in stride. Wearing a black suit and ribbons representing terrorist attack victims and victims of breast cancer, the diminutive 21-year-old from Gresham spoke to reporters Wednesday at Portland International Airport. She said she has missed her family and knew she was home when she flew over the distinctive white cap of Mount Hood. "I'm so proud to be from Oregon," she said. "I love this state." During the next few days, Harman will meet with Gov. John Kitzhaber and other state officials. She will also meet Oregonians at public receptions in Portland, Seaside and Gresham. Ever since she took the crown on Sept. 22, less than two weeks after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Harman has been trying to do what she can to help people feel better. "Miss America has always been a leader, a role model. Now she has to be a healer, in essence," she said. "People need to know there's hope, that everything's going to be OK." She met with American troops who were preparing to help with homeland security and possibly go to battle in Afghanistan. "I am scared for them. But they are so strong - their strength is going to be the strength of the country right now," she said. Days after winning the pageant, she visited to the rubble of the World Trade Center in New York City. "It was wonderful to be able to go down and see the faces of the rescue workers," she said. Her emotions were "a mix of disbelief and....how can I help? What can I do?" Workers asked her to sign anything handy - dollar bills, scraps of paper, even tags normally used to identify bodies at the morgue. Despite her new role as the nation's most effusive cheerleader, she isn't forgetting her original platform: help for breast cancer victims. Harman sees a parallel between cancer sufferers and those affected by terrorism. Both groups need support during their time of suffering, she said. The communication and vocal performance major at Portland State University won a retooled Miss America pageant. For the first time, contestants were allowed to vote on who they thought should win the crown. In another first, the five finalists were quizzed onstage about current events, U.S. history and government. Harman doesn't want to be a celebrity. But she does think she's a good match for the new incarnation of Miss America. "I think I'm able to fit in that role because I love people, not because I'm someone spectacular," she said. "Miss America needs to be a lover of people." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing