On High Alert, U.S. Troops in Afghanistan Fete the Fourth
The order came from the top: “Uncle Sam Says Have Fun,” read the posters plastered around U.S. military headquarters in Afghanistan on the Fourth of July.
The troops did their best, using a helicopter pad as a basketball court and trading ration packs for T-bone steaks flown in for celebrations.
But as many of the 7,000 U.S. Special Forces and other troops at Bagram air base made what they could of July 4 celebrations in sparse surroundings far from home, security on the perimeter was on high alert for possible terrorist attacks.
No trouble was reported.
Red-white-and-blue flags brightened the rows of green, dusty tents that house the troops, who are in Afghanistan to hunt down the remnants of Al Qaeda and the Taliban and help restore the country to peace after 23 years of war.
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