1. On Christmas Eve in Bosnia, friends become family as Spec. Carieanne Frabel, left, hugs Kristy Thomas during a party attended by Spec. Andrew Finley, right, of Spokane, and other members of the 396th Combat Support Hospital. At the midway point of their nine-month deployment, the reservists exchanged gifts, sang carols and remembered Christmases past. Photos by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review
2. Sprecakovic Ibrahim rests in what used to be the front yard of his home near Brcko. Forced from his property by Serb forces in May 1992, Ibrahim and other Muslims now face the daunting task of rebuilding.
3. A few crumbled walls are all that remain of Esef Kadric's home in Brcko. The town is held by Bosnian Serbs, but with U.S. peacekeepers stationed nearby, many Muslim inhabitants who fled during the war are returning.
4. Muslim refugees at a resettlement camp near Tuzla receive one-third of a loaf of bread per person, per day. Most feel there is little hope of ever returning to their homes, and nearly all are unemployed.
5. Jeanna Martin prepares to wrap a teddy bear from among a stack of toys - destined for Bosnian children - sent by friends and relatives. "Even though I can't be with my own kids, at least I'm helping someone else's." Martin says.
6. P.J. Anderson, left, Bob Bruce, center, and Ken Nettleton share a laugh and a latte after dinner before heading out into the cold.
7. After a long day, Al Velarde relaxes in the cramped living quarters of the Blue Factory, the hospital at the Guardian Base in Tuzla.
8. Bosnian shepherds watch over their flock outside the barbed wire of Guardian Base. The Blue Factory, where the 396th operates a hospital, is visible at extreme right.
9. Members of the 396th, including Paul Child, center, and Al Velarde, right, treat a patient who was injured when the bus he was riding in was struck by a truck.
10. After eating dinner in the mess hall, soldiers from the 396th return to work at the Blue Factory, which is staffed 24 hours a day.
11. Jeanna Martin, right, dances the night away at The Barn, a recreational facility built by Norwegian peacekeepers with their own money. Members of the 396th are the only U.S. troops allowed in the building, which features an ear-splitting stereo system and full bar. Unlike their Norwegian counterparts, U.S. troops are not allowed to consume alcohol while in Bosnia.
12. Michael Bell, an operating room technician, hangs an ornament during a tree-trimming party for U.S. troops at Guardian Base.
13. "What you are doing is profoundly important," President Clinton told U.S. peacekeepers Monday during a Christmas visit to Eagle Base in Tuzla, the largest U.S. base in Bosnia.
14. Muslim refugee children entertain themselves with make-believe guitars using planks of wood at a resettlement camp near Tuzla.
15. Smiling at a visitor, a refugee from Srebrenica and her grandson await an uncertain future at a resettlement camp near Tuzla.
16. Pedaling home with a box of donations from relief workers, a Bosnian Muslim returns to his home in Brcko.
17. Michael Bell spends time with a child during one of the soldiers' visits to a Tuzla-area orphanage.
18. An orphan kisses "Froggy," a puppet under the direction of Lt. Jeff Smith of Baton Rouge, La. A group of puppeteers from Guardian Base travels around Bosnia giving shows like this one for local children.
19. Orphans wave goodbye as U.S. soldiers return to Guardian Base after spending several hours passing out presents and making new friends.
20. A patrol in Brod protects Muslim refugees rebuilding their home as U.S. peacekeeping forces dig in for an indefinite extension of service in Bosnia.
