Soldiers' Morale Soars in Kosovo

 By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press Writer

 CAMP BONDSTEEL, Yugoslavia (AP) - President Clinton's warm reception at the U.S. Army's
 Camp Bondsteel wasn't made just for television. The morale of U.S. forces in the NATO
 peacekeeping mission in Kosovo is soaring - and with good reason.

 Soldiers serving in this humanitarian mission have a clear sense of purpose. Despite lingering
 hatred, they are often greeted on the streets with adoration by ethnic Albanian children. And, after
 long days in the mud and muck, they can retreat to a little corner of Americana with warm
 barracks, hot showers and TV movies.

 The treatment shows the U.S. military has learned something from its mission in nearby Bosnia - it's
 smart to be nice to your soldiers.

 Nowhere is that more clear than at Camp Bondsteel, a 354-acre facility plopped down in the hilly
 cornfields of southeastern Kosovo. In five months, some 1,700 Army and Navy engineers moved
 half a million cubic feet of earth to erect two mess halls, a barber shop, a chapel, a store and a
 movie theater. There are also Internet access, recreation facilities and a helipad.

 And unlike Bosnia, where soldiers lived in tents for nearly four years, there are seahuts - wooden
 barracks that went up immediately, moving soldiers out of cold tents and into warm rooms quickly.

 Most important, though, is the humanitarian nature of the mission. NATO peacekeepers often
 spend their days delivering clothes to schoolchildren or firewood to remote areas.

 U.S. soldiers, in particular, have been involved in trying to protect the minority Serb community,
 which has fled the province in the face of revenge attacks for President Slobodan Milosevic's
 18-month crackdown on ethnic Albanian militants.

 That has earned them some Serb support on the ground, even though the presence of American -
 and NATO - troops is condemned by the Milosevic camp in Belgrade.

 ``They've seen positive results,'' said Maj. Erik Gunhus, a base spokesman. ``It makes them feel
 good.''

 It helps that for most people in Kosovo, the U.S. soldiers walked into the province as conquering
 heroes, credited with saving the ethnic Albanian population from annihilation by forces loyal to
 Milosevic.

 Frequently they are stopped on the street by ethnic Albanians offering hugs, the soldiers say, while
 effusive graffiti suggests Clinton should be elected king. Houses being rebuilt after the destruction
 often fly two flags - American and Albanian.

 ``I love Americans, they are our real liberators,'' declared Ramadan Ymeri, 42, in Pristina, the
 capital. ``If it weren't for America, we probably would still be under Serb occupation.

 ``The visit of Mr. Clinton is my second happiness,'' he said. ``The first one was liberation.''

 The soldiers at Bondsteel also praised Clinton, saying he had crystallized their feelings that the time
 spent away from their families was worth it if the people of Kosovo can be persuaded to rebuild
 without prejudice.

 It seems nearly every soldier has a warm fuzzy story to tell.

 Capt. Brian Damron of Kennett, Mo., described his visit to a school in the U.S. sector, where he
 helped deliver clothes.

 A little girl about the same age as his 8-year-old daughter followed Damron around for hours.
 Unable to really talk with her, Damron showed the girl a picture of his daughter.

 ``She begged to keep it,'' said Damron, 36. ``I'll never forget it. I almost cried.''

 Damron left the photo with the girl, even though it was his only one.

 ``Our soldiers really realize,'' he said, ``that we make an impact on other people's lives.''