In Afghanistan Friday, a few were 91,000 u.s. troops celebrate Christmas as best they could in the closing days of a year that has seen the death of 412 from their peers. CBS News correspondent Clarissa Ward spent the day with small units in mountains near the border post with Pakistan.
On Christmas morning, the men of 2nd Battalion Wolfhound manned their post as always, far away from home and nine months into the spread is exhausting.
The spirit of the season has been slow to set up here. But there are some real change–infla frosty Snowman manning guard shack.
Santa Claus took a slightly different form for men in Mustangs, a helicopter from a nearby base, bearing gifts and mail from home.