US peacekeepers share Thanksgiving meal at US military base Camp Bondsteel

(27 Nov 2014) US peacekeepers shared a Thanksgiving meal on Thursday in Camp Bondsteel, a US military base in eastern Kosovo. The soldiers were served roasted turkey, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie in a dining hall adorned with red figures made of dough portraying meetings between native Americans and settlers. The commanding officers served food to the troops, a tradition that seeks to bring the soldiers together. "It's our opportunity to give back in a very, very small way and thank them for the service," said Lieutenant Colonel Chip Finley, from Raleigh, North Carolina. "And also the fact that they are separated from their families as well and you know maybe just make it a little bit more special for them." Some 700 troops are stationed in Kosovo as part of the NATO-led mission that is in charge of securing Kosovo. Most of the US peacekeepers come from the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division from Alaska. The United Nations and NATO took control of the territory in 1999 after Western airstrikes forced former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to end his crackdown on independence-minded ethnic Albanians, who form a majority in the province. Kosovo declared independence in 2008 but Serbia rejects the move. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...