THE TENSION: Combat Camera: Ambassadors of Hollywood Visit Troops in Iraq

Gabrielle Tuite, a member of the Ambassadors of Hollywood tour, adjusts the eye protection of Cpl. James Buckley, a Beaumont, Calif., native, while posing on March 14 with Cynthia Watros, in white, and Bonnie-Jill Laflin. Buckley serves with the Striker personal security detachment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad. (Photographer: Sgt. Zachary Mott, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs.)

Gabrielle Tuite, a member of the Ambassadors of Hollywood tour, poses with a belt of ammunition, March 14, for a Bradley Fighting Vehicle while visiting members of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, which is out of Fort Carson, Colo., and currently based at Camp Taji, Iraq. (Photographer: Sgt. Zachary Mott, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs.)

Sgt. Victor Clark, a Corpus Christi, Texas, native, shows Gabrielle Tuite, a member of the Ambassadors of Hollywood tour, how to operate a turret, March 14, in the Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle during the group's tour of Camp Taji. Clark serves a gunner with the Striker Personal Security Detachment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad. (Photographer: Sgt. Zachary Mott, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs.)

Staff Sgt. Roberto Martinez, a Dallas native, talks to Bonnie-Jill Laflin, a member of the Ambassadors of Hollywood tour, about the Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) Vehicle on March 14. Martinez serves with the striker personal security detachment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad. (Photographer: Sgt. Zachary Mott, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs.)

Staff Sgt. William Clawson, a Flemington, N.J., native, talks about the Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) Vehicle to Cynthia Watros, a member of the Ambassadors of Hollywood tour group, during a visit on March 14 to Camp Taji. Clawson serves as the platoon sergeant with Striker personal security detachment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad. (Photographer: Sgt. Zachary Mott, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs.)

Dispatches from the Front:

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, March 16, 2008 -- Morale is a precious thing. Leaders make every attempt possible to ensure it remains high, especially while deployed to Iraq for up to 15 months.

Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, which is based at Fort Carson, Colo., received a morale boost in the form of a visit from the ambassadors of Hollywood.

Cynthia Watros, most known for her role as Libby on the hit show “Lost,” Gabrielle Tuite, made famous through her work with World Wrestling Entertainment, and Bonnie-Jill Laflin, a former NBA cheerleader now working as a scout for the Los Angeles Lakers, visited the Striker soldiers at Camp Taji to help boost morale of the troops.

“I know that soldiers sometimes feel forgotten about, so I wanted to say thanks that let them know that they’re not forgotten about,” Tuite said.

The visit included a tour of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle as well as the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The trio, later joined by professional wrestler “Diamond” Dallas Page, also signed autographs at the Striker dining facility.

“It’s always nice to know that the people back home are thinking about us, that they still support us,” said Staff Sgt. William Clawson, the platoon sergeant for the Striker personal security detachment, 3rd BCT, 4th Inf. Div.

“It’s good for the soldiers; it’s good for their morale,” said the Flemington, N.J., native.

(Story by Sgt. Zach Mott, 3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Officer, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad.)