Bagram, Afghanistan ? Red, white and blue flags flew over the Bagram air base Thursday as U.S. forces marked the Fourth of July with grilled T-bone steaks, corn and basketball games on a helicopter pad.

Security around the perimeter of the base, the headquarters of the some 7,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, was tightened Thursday over concern that terrorists might target Americans on their Independence Day, Col. Roger King said.

Inside the base, however, there was a holiday atmosphere.

Dozens of American flags fluttered amid the rows of green tents in the grimy, wind-swept base north of Kabul, the capital.

Posters carried the order: “Uncle Sam Says Have Fun” and soldiers did their best, using sandbags to support makeshift goal posts for a soccer game. Basketball games were held on a helicopter pad, flanked by U.S. AC-10 aircraft and decaying Soviet MiG fighters.

Soldiers who hit the basketball court put down their M-16 assault rifles and handguns. Non-players stepped forward to watch over the weapons. An unarmed U.S. soldier at Bagram is a rare sight _ they carry their weapons when they jog and even into the shower rooms.

Soldiers laughed when strong desert winds blew one of the hoops down mid-game, but quickly reinforced it with more sandbags.

“Normally we’d have fireworks, picnics, beer, sparklers and that kind of stuff,” said Maj. Odie Sheffield from Punta Gorda, Fla. “I have a family reunion today in Florida; everyone’s at my brother’s house sitting by the pool. I wish I was there.”

Some soldiers said they thought the U.S. Independence Day holiday was symbolic for Afghanistan because the United States helped free the country from the repressive rule of the Taliban regime.

“If you’re going to celebrate Independence Day, it’s good to do it when you’re helping another country get its independence,” said Staff Sgt. Rhonda Lawson of New Orleans, La. “But I’d rather be at a music festival in New Orleans.”

For others, July 4 was a reminder of last year’s terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

“This is where I’ve wanted to be since Sept. 11,” said 1st Lt. Frank Tedeschi of New York. The combat engineer said he was serving in Kosovo on Sept. 11, and two friends died in the attacks. “I really wanted to be part of the fight to get back at the terrorists.”

On the base’s perimeter, the soldiers on duty were too busy working to enjoy the fun. Most hoped to make it to a barbecue after their 12-hour shift ended.

Seven thousand T-bone steaks were flown in from Nebraska for the party. Crab legs, corn and baked beans were also on the menu _ a welcome relief from the military ration packs that make up the daily diet of the troops here.

The U.S. government says it has credible evidence that terrorist violence may occur on July 4 and could include suicide attacks. It hasn’t named any specific potential target, but says the national holiday was an attractive symbol to potential terrorists.

Bagram is heavily fortified, though U.S. forces stationed there had been warned to take precautions.

Staff Sgt. Maricore Foster of Irvine, Calif., said she wished there could have been fireworks at the base.

But with Afghanistan still tense and the peace fragile, “I think fireworks here would cause another war,” Lawson said.