Khaldiyah, Iraq ? U.S. tankers patrolling here in western Iraq early Monday will have their eyes peeled at the dangerous roads to Baghdad – and their ears tuned in to a broadcast of the Super Bowl, specially transmitted on a secure U.S. military frequency.

There isn’t much doubt whom most will be rooting for. Soldiers in this area are from the Pennsylvania National Guard – including hundreds from the western half of the state who hope their beloved Pittsburgh Steelers will claim their fifth NFL championship.

On “Super Sunday,” American troops will continue daily patrols and supply runs throughout Iraq. But at 2 a.m. Monday local time, thousands of American troops – some attending lavish parties complete with barbecues and cases of near beer – will tune into the game, broadcast by the Armed Forces Network.

At a U.S. military base in Habaniyah, 50 miles west of Baghdad, the 1st Battalion, 110th Regiment, 28th Infantry Division made extensive preparations to observe the annual rite.

Special orders of chicken wings and steaks – along with kielbasa and sauerkraut, a taste from back home in Pittsburgh – were inbound. A stack of old ammunition crates will be lit to make a bonfire.

U.S. Army Capt. Lyle Gardner, of Boswell, Pa., a company commander in the 1st Battalion, 110th Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, raises a Pittsburgh Steelers flag at a U.S. base in Habaniyah, Iraq.

“I asked for pierogies, but I don’t think that’s going to happen,” said Capt. Stephen Jaksec, a native of Johnstown, Pa., who now serves as a battalion communications officer. “It was put in as an official military function, so hopefully it’ll come through.”

For some soldiers in remote outposts, though, satellite broadcasts and Sunday’s festivities will be a universe away. U.S. advisers who are training some of the first Iraqi soldiers to take over security responsibilities in this dangerous area west of Baghdad made far simpler plans.

“Yeah, I’m going to drink a Pepsi. Maybe I’ll play the Super Bowl on (the) Madden 2006” video game, said Sgt. Joseph Neary, of Altoona, Pa. He lamented the fact that his consecutive streak of Super Bowl keg parties would be snapped this year. Instead, he planned to call home on a satellite phone to check for score updates.

“If we really wanted to, we could probably go into town and buy a sheep and have a barbecue,” said Neary, as he quickly shaved in anticipation of a commander’s visit to his outpost.

Neary, who survived a suicide car bomb attack last year, will likely do his standard two or three foot patrols alongside Iraqi soldiers Sunday. Regular duties also will continue for the tankers who overwatch the key roads that cross through dangerous Anbar province to Baghdad – but an extra broadcast will be channeled to their headsets.

At the Iraqi outpost outside Khaldiyah, a U.S. military adviser had minimal hopes for the weekend – and a Steeler victory was not necessarily at the top of the list.

“If I’m alive the day after the Super Bowl, I’ll be happy,” said Sgt. Greg Bozovich, of York, Pa., whose team of advisers has suffered a 20 percent casualty rate since August.