HAWIJAH, Iraq — The sounds of The O’Jays wafted through the kitchen area as Sgt. Cliff Gray whipped up some mashed potatoes in preparation for Friday’s evening meal.

Amid the sounds and smells of an Army kitchen, there was a buzz just beyond the serving counter.

There were Hollywood guests in the house, and the soldiers at Forward Operating Base McHenry turned out as if there were steaks and lobster tails on the grill.

“We’re working while they are playing,” said Gray, a cook with the Montana National Guard. Gray smiled as he watched actors Dean Cain and Amanda Swisten work the crowd, something they’ve been doing for days as part of a two-week tour of the theater.

If nothing else, the visit would give his customers something fresh to chat about over chow.

“I’m nervous,” said Spc. Nick Ator, 23, of Plentywood, Mont. Ator had just had his picture taken with Swisten. “I was just standing next to the hottest chick I’ve seen in nine months.”

The soldiers and airmen at McHenry were genuinely appreciative of the visit. Distinguished visitors rarely venture into their neighborhood, partly because of the danger and partly because the folks close to the flagpole can sometimes, well, be a bit centric.

The visit “made my day,” said Spc. Brian Hogan of Company C, 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment. “Actually, it made my deployment.”

Cain, best known for his TV role as Superman, said the pleasure was all his.

“We’re honored to be here,” Cain said afterwards. “I’m an American, and I believe in what we are fighting for.”

The spirit of freedom Cain alluded to often require sacrifices. A few hours prior to their visit, the base suffered another casualty.

An Air Force senior noncommissioned officer was with a mine detection team when a renegade Iraqi army soldier fired several shots into his Humvee. The airman, who was not identified, may have been hit twice, once in the abdomen and once in the posterior. He was flown to the Army surgical hospital in Kirkuk, and was said to be doing fine.

The Iraqi soldier was shot and then taken into custody. U.S. medical personnel in Kirkuk were also treating his injuries.

“I wish we could stay here longer,” Swisten said of the soldiers as she departed the dining hall. “We care about them.”

On this date, admiration flowed in both directions.

Soldiers like Hogan looked absolutely smitten as they walked away from Swisten, camera in hand.

Several female troops were in the crowd, too. Swisten seemed nice, they said, but Dean better suited their tastes.

“I’m here for Dean, need it be said,” Spc. Kara Wortley of the 145th Support Battalion remarked after her star encounter. “It’s nice to have somebody come way out here to see us.”