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HEART OF THE MATTER
Nick Lachey, 31, and Jessica Simpson, 24, share a moment at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where they spent April 21-23 as part of a USO-hosted tour. "We really believe in supporting the troops," Lachey says, "doing what we can to make lives a little brighter."
MISSION: IRAQ
Simpson and Lachey visit the first of three military bases in Iraq on April 24. Though they didn't get much sleep en route to the region, "the energy of the soldiers made it hard to be tired," says Lachey. After a sandstorm unexpectedly hit, the couple spent the night in Iraq.
DANCING QUEEN
Simpson shimmies her way through a performance for 6,000 soldiers in a vast airplane hangar at Ramstein Air Base. She sang her hit "With You," among other songs. The couple's overseas trip will air as Nick amp Jessica's Tour of Duty on May 23 on ABC.
LADIES' MAN
Lachey serenades female soldiers during the three-hour Ramstein concert. Next, he'll head to Sweden to work on a new album, which he says is "a much more honest record than I've ever done. I'm trying to make it much more personal to me and my life."
SPREADING CHEER
The couple visits a hospital ward at Ramstein, spending time with Lt. Col. John Garcia, a doctor recuperating from injuries he incurred while treating soldiers in northwest Iraq. "Jessica thanked me for being in the military, and I thanked her for showing her appreciation. I'm sorry she's married," he jokes.
DUET
"We love to sing together," says Simpson. "We had an absolute blast on stage." The couple opened the show with John Mellencamp's "R.O.C.K. in the USA." RampB star Brian McKnight and country duo Big amp Rich also performed with the couple.
READY, AIM, FIRE
At Ramstein, Simpson tries her hand as a gun-slinger, receiving firing-range instruction with a 9 mm pistol. "I think I did really good. I shot the heart a lot (on the target)," she says. Meanwhile, Lachey lived out a life-long dream: training in an F-16 fighter jet. "It was the coolest thing ever," he says.
COMMON BOND
Simpson gets emotional while helping to surprise soldiers by reuniting them with loved ones from home. "I think it brings us closer because we have this experience to share," she says of the USO tour with Lachey. "As a married couple, to see it together and impact people's lives together, that is a pretty cool deal."
GOOD OL' TIME
Simpson teams up for a duet on the song "Boots" with her Dukes of Hazzard costar Willie Nelson, who joined the USO tour at Simpson's request. "You can't say no to Jessica," the country legend says. "I enjoy listening to her sing and watching her act, and hanging out. She's turned out to be a good buddy."
ALL FOR ONE
"It is so easy to get caught up in all the red carpets and designers and cars we drive and functions we attend," says Simpson (with soldiers at Ramstein Air Base). "But when you come out and do something like this and see what true sacrifice is, that's where we find our value."
TEAM EFFORT
The USO trip to Germany and Iraq gave Lachey (rousing the Ramstein audience with Simpson) a new perspective on his relationship. "There are married couples who are both in the military and haven't seen each other in over a year or two," he explains. "We're constantly a support system for each other."
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