Kelly Preston.s Iraq Memories

Actress Kelly Preston is especially distraught by the conflict in Iraq -
because she used to live in the war-torn nation.

Hawaii-born Preston, wife of actor John Travolta, pulled out of press
junkets for her new movie What A Girl Wants last month (MAR03) because of the
war, which has affected her a lot more than many of her Hollywood
counterparts.

She says, "I was five and I lived in Amara, which is between Basra and
Baghdad, in an American compound."

Preston, 40, who has two children - JETT, 11, and ELLA BLEU, three, with
Travolta, 49, adds, "I'm heartbroken for the families and for the people
there."

The actress recalls that when she lived in Iraq, there was unrest in the
region because it was right after Israel's Six Day War with the Arabs in
1967.

But most of her memories are happy.

She says, "My father worked for an agricultural firm, and he went there to
teach Iraqis to be self-sufficient and grow sugar cane. I have memories of
children there who were my friends.

"Right now, I just pray for the troops to come home safely - and I pray
for peace."