This ‘Postcard’ to Bosnia Shows a Personal Stamp : Support: U.S. peacekeepers will get a musical greeting, on video, from 700 well-wishers.

LAGUNA HILLS —  Their first days in Bosnia during the holidays will be spent clearing a swamp, erecting huge tents in the snow and planning dangerous convoys into war-torn areas.

Some Christmas.

But the initial wave of U.S. soldiers in Bosnia will not be alone on Christmas Day. About 700 well-wishers from Orange County will be there to greet them--on television.

As video cameras rolled at Lake Hills Community Church on Friday, parishioners and members of the public paid tribute to the troops in an outpouring of Christmas song and spirit.

The video postcard will be rushed to the Armed Forces Network, which plans to have the hourlong performance in Bosnia on Monday for viewing by the troops Christmas Day.

“Our soldiers will be digging trenches, they’ll be in tents,” said Steve Gooden, 28, of Orange, who had the idea for the postcard. “We just want to make them feel at home on Christmas of all days.”

As during Desert Storm, Armed Forces Network officials say they already are being swamped with cards, letters and video Christmas wishes for the troops.

But the Orange County show, called “An American Christmas in Bosnia--A Video Postcard to Our Troops,” probably will be the only lengthy musical tribute reaching U.S. forces.

“There’s been a tremendous amount of response from the American public, particularly as people see the troops in the cold, far away from family and friends,” said network director Melvin Russell, “but there’s been hardly any calls for this type of service.”

The audience listened to a church choir and a volunteer orchestra from Fullerton College, and joined the traditional Christmas songs such as the Hallelujah Chorus.

The evening saw a few long technical delays, but was highlighted by a phone call from Bob Hope, who thanked everyone over the intercom.

Gooden said he was motivated to put the show together after hearing that his brother, a U.S. serviceman stationed in Turkey, wouldn’t be able to come home for Christmas because of the U.S. decision to send troops to Bosnia.

“We fear that he will be involved,” Gooden said. “We were looking forward to spending Christmas with him, but that’s not the case anymore.”

Gooden, an unaffiliated minister who runs a youth religious group called the “No Compromise Ministries,” recently made headlines with an anti-racism campaign called “Love Mark Fuhrman, To Help End Racism.” He also gained attention in the 1992 Republican Convention with a Christian rap act.

Just 11 days ago, Gooden contacted the Lake Hills Community Church, which has a 1,500-seat auditorium, and church officials threw themselves into helping organize the event.

Col. Bill Hammerle, commanding officer of the Tustin Marine Corps Air Base, sad he has “been on the other end of many Christmases away from home. This is the time when you miss your family and friends the most.”