“American Idol” is a guilty pleasure for millions of people, so no surprise that there are actually a fair share of “Idol” fanatics serving in our armed forces in Iraq. The show actually airs there a day later than it does in the States, but they argue and wager about the show as avidly as anyone here, welcoming the lighthearted distraction — and a little piece of home — even as they face unimaginable danger and horror every day. Also, “Baghdad Idol” went off the air quite some time ago.

So we made friends through the internet with some folks in the Army’s 82nd Airborne division (Fort Bragg, whatup!), and they’re going to be sending us their take on each installment of “Idol.” Their reports won’t be as timely as ours, and may not appear here until well after the show has ended because of, you know, URGENT BUSINESS, and communications blackouts and other super secret stuff that gives you the freedom to watch “American Idol” in the first place. But you will enjoy the view of “American Idol” from Iraq every week, and we look forward to bringing it to you.

First installment, after the jump.

So remember, these guys are commenting on the “Idol” episodes from last week. Our players:

From L to R:
PFC Joshua Miranda, 22, from Orlando, FL
PFC Nathan Puckett, 19, from Cynthiana, KY
SSG Steve Cody, 27, from Los Angeles, CA

And last but not least, in the picture below, on the left, SPC Cory Combs, 21, Plymouth, MA (Go Red Sox!)

They all crowded around a television and gave us their reviews. Unfortunately, we don’t know who said what, but we’ll rectify that next week.Amanda
“Very old school rock. Good song for her. She has her own style.”

Kristi
“Boring, no energy at all. Simon was completely correct about his assessment. She should have gone this week. She’s the least talented contestant.”

David Archuletta
“Sounded good but really boring. He’s one of the best singers but is still trying to figure out what his style is.”

Michael
“Good beginning. Missed a few notes but pretty good. Very good singer.”

Brooke
Puckett: “She is the favorite female for 2 out of the 4 guys and is Miranda and Comb’s favorite vocalist. This week the guys were kind of bummed that she didn’t do better. She didn’t really act like she was feeling what she was singing.”

David Cook
“Awesome! That’s all I can say.” SSG Cody Really likes his rocker style. He should try singing without his guitar sometime.

Carly
“She really felt the song but it’s one of her weaker preformances.”
SPC Combs says, “What is up with shirt she is wearing??”
SSG Cody says, “She should not have been in the bottom three! She is one of the best vocalist in the competition.”

Jason
“Great performance. Great song. The favorite male vocalist for all of us.”

Sayesha
“Great! She looked gorgeous and sounded better. She is getting better every week. At the beginning none of us were big fans but now we all like her.”

Chikezie
“Original. Everyone agreed that it was a good performance.”

Ramiele
“Great song, good performance. Very gorgeous girl.”
Meanwhile, PFC Puckett says, “It was not a great performance but is still my favorite female vocalist. She needs to come to Iraq and visit us!!”