Celebrities give troops diversion from battle

A sports legend, a model and two comedians spent a day in the Middle East.
WASHINGTON POST
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The line grew larger by the second, soldiers using their elbows to jockey for position and standing on their tiptoes in the late morning sun.
It's not every day that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff travels across the world to greet troops on the battlefield. But the soldiers weren't jostling to catch a glimpse of Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, who was standing in a corner of a courtyard extending greetings. Rather, these soldiers wanted to meet Leeann Tweeden, a sportscaster and model who is featured on the cover of the current issue of For Him Magazine in some skimpy lingerie.
"This sure gave me a boost," said Sgt. Howard Armstrong, 28, of Utica, N.Y., a wide smile giving way to laughter. He turned to Spc. William McClellan, 25, of Cleveland, and pointed to a photo of Tweeden inside his copy of the magazine, tapping his finger on the glossy page. "This is awesome. I want her to sign it there."
USO show
Myers was traveling through the Middle East in part to shepherd a USO show that featured Tweeden, legendary NFL quarterback John Elway, and comedians Robin Williams and Blake Clark.
While Myers introduced the famous guests and publicly thanked the troops, the bulk of the show and the attention went to the celebrities. Myers focused on the more somber elements of the day -- how things are going in Fallujah, the potential for violence as elections in Iraq approach, the nature of the insurgency -- at a brief news conference away from the show.
Military officials estimated that several thousand troops attended the event, held on a concrete plaza outside of the 1st Cavalry Division's PX building at Camp Liberty, a welcome diversion on a Tuesday morning before the holidays. Elway tossed footballs to the audience and Williams performed a rousing comedy routine, complete with one boisterous "Good Morning, Vietnam!" -- the name and featured line of his 1987 movie about a disc jockey at war.
After the show, the soldiers crowded onstage with Williams, who was wearing a "Joker 69" hat, to pose for photographs. Clark, who was in the television hit "Home Improvement" and recently appeared in the Adam Sandler film "50 First Dates," signed autographs and shook hands. Soldiers handed footballs to Elway. Hundreds swarmed to Tweeden, who appears on Fox's "Best Damn Sports Show Period" and wears next to nothing in an eight-page spread in For Him, currently on the shelves. The PX made sure to stock extra copies Tuesday morning, and not surprisingly, sales were brisk.
A break
"Any minute you don't have to think of the reality of this place, it's a welcome break," said Cpl. Jeremy Blackman, 22, of Clinton, La., who was waiting to meet Tweeden. "This is a good break from the norm."
Sgt. Max Jean-Philippe, 26, of Miami wandered over to where Myers, a four-star general, was posing for photographs with troops, a far tamer gathering. He paused before getting in line.
"His being here shows that everyone, no matter what their rank, should come out here," Jean-Philippe said.
Staff Sgt. Eric Anderson, 32, of Chattanooga, nodded and joined Jean-Philippe. He said the USO show and having Myers on base provided a nice pause.
"It gets us away from the chaos," Anderson said.