U.S. Soldiers in Kosovo Battle Holiday Season Homesickness

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Yugoslavia —  U.S. troops in the volatile Yugoslav region of Kosovo shared a festive Christmas feast Monday, but for many the joy of the season was tempered by feelings of homesickness for family and friends.

“This is my first Christmas away from home, and I am a bit upset,” said Pvt. Christopher Ruffin, 18, of Stockton, Texas. “I spent last night trying to get hold of my family and my girlfriend. I have not yet been able to get them to wish them Merry Christmas.”

His colleague Spc. Paul H. Smith, 28, of Bangor, Maine, said he spent Christmas Eve in the gym to take his mind off his homesickness.

Both soldiers are part of the 4,500-strong U.S. contingent of the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo--a province of Serbia, Yugoslavia’s main republic--led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

This is the second Christmas that U.S. troops have spent in the province since the peacekeepers replaced Yugoslav forces in June 1999.