NICK & JESSICA SOLDIER ON TO IRAQ


GORGEOUS Jessica Simpson became a Persian Gulf diversion for a crowd of American
military personnel when she and husband Nick Lachey made a USO tour stopover at
the Al Udeid Air Base in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar on their way to Iraq.

The duo flew into the base in the early afternoon of April 23 in the back of a
massive C-130 transport plane. After the cargo door descended, out marched
Simpson, 24, and Lachey, 31, both decked out in regulation helmets and flak
jackets. "It may not have been Jessica's usual showbiz outfit," a source at the
base tells Star, "but even in that military gear, she was the sexiest thing most
of the guys had ever laid eyes on."

GOOD CHEER
Not everyone on the base knew in advance that Jessica and Nick were coming, "but
the folks who did know and weren't off the base flying or working were really
excited," says the source. "They sometimes feel forgotten out in the middle of
nowhere." Simpson and Lachey stayed at Al Udeid Air Base for a little over an
hour, taking a tour of the base, signing autographs and posing for pictures
before flying out again in the C-130. Says the source: "Everyone was remarking
how friendly, down-to-earth and genuine Nick and Jessica were. They were a real
breath of fresh air for the young recruits and battle-hardened veterans alike."

HITTING THE ROAD
After leaving Qatar, Lachey and Simpson touched down the next day, April 24, in
Iraq, to spend a few hours with American troops stationed in the war-torn town
of Tikrit, as Star reported in the May 9 issue. It was one of the last stops on
their five-day USO tour (which began with a concert at Ramstein Air Base in
Germany) to bring a bit of back-home entertainment to our soldiers overseas. The
highlights of the couple's trek will air as the ABC special Nick & Jessica's
Tour of Duty on May 23.

-- ALEX BURTON



http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hollywood_Dirt/ - Celebrity news & gossip

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Only_Jessica/ - Jessica Simpson

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/We_Love_Aaron_Carter - Aaron Carter

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Only_Britney/ - Britney Spears




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