Troops in Iraq to Get Super Bowl Beer

It will be a few weeks before we know who will play for the NFL championship, but some troops in Baghdad are already cheering for the big game.

General Order No. 1 bans U.S. troops from drinking alcohol in Iraq. Not only is the order meant to try to restrict alcohol use -- which many Muslims find offensive -- it also sounds like a pretty good way to maintain a sober force in a war zone. Still, it would be a boost to morale if off duty troops could relax with a beer.

In perhaps what is only the second exception to the rule since the war began, troops will be able to enjoy a beer during the Super Bowl. Troops will be able to have two servings of beer only during the Feb. 1st game. The beer must be consumed in dining facilities where soldiers can watch the game.

For many troops in the middle of their second or third deployment having a cold beer while watching the game is one small bit of normalcy in the midst of the mayhem. I suggest when we all crack open our first beer on Super Bowl Sunday that we say a toast to the men and women on the front lines.