At first, speaking with Army Staff Sgt. Mike Grant, life in Iraq doesn’t sound too exciting.

“I go do my job. Every day is the same,” Grant said Wednesday as he relaxed at his Oak Harbor home while on leave from Baghdad.

When pressed, Grant, 22, admits a few days stand out.

The day improvised explosive devices (IEDs or roadside bombs) detonated near his Humvee remains vivid.

So does the next day when he received a “Dear John” e-mail from his girlfriend Amie, ending their relationship.

About 10 days later, Grant and three friends were walking to the chow hall when a mortar landed in the compound.

They heard the incoming round whistle, then a rattling sound which meant the mortar was close.

When the mortar hit, one in the group dropped to the ground, others ran in different directions. In a moment, Grant said, they realized where the nearest bunker was and headed for shelter.

“If buildings hadn’t been between us and the mortar, we probably would have been hit by shrapnel,” Grant said.

Grant, a 2001 graduate of Oak Harbor High School, is a military policeman with the 759th MP battalion from Fort Carson, Colo. He’s been in Iraq six months and expects to be there four more. Before Iraq, he was stationed in Seoul, South Korea.

He hears rumors that his battalion will deploy not too long after returning to the states. One rumor puts their destination on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

“That’s the best I’ve heard so far,” Grant said.

He’ll start heading back to Baghdad Nov. 11 after spending 15 days at home. It’s a long trip from here to Baghdad. To get home Grant flew from Baghdad International to Kuwait, then on to Shannon, Ireland, then Dallas-Fort Worth and Seattle. And then his parents drove him to Whidbey Island.

Grant is spending time relaxing but admits to some odd moments adjusting to life out of a war zone.

He and his father attended a Seattle Seahawk’s game Oct. 31 and fireworks disconcerted Grant.

“They sounded like mortars,” he said.

Driving at home was tricky at first.

“I’m used to driving right down the center of a road. I wasn’t used to driving in one lane,” he said, laughing.

As the driver of an armored Humvee, Grant said he keeps to the middle of a roadway to stay as far from the blast zone of an IED as he can.

And he knows these explosions usually come in pairs.

“The first IED is to disable a vehicle,” he said. “The second one is meant to kill people.”

Grant said his company has been lucky. No one’s been killed but eight people have received Purple Heart medals.

When the first IED blew up, Grant was driving the lead vehicle. He slowed down to see if anyone was hurt or humvees disabled. Luckily, all the vehicles were still drivable.

“When the second IED blew up, I hit the gas,” Grant said.

When they reached safety, Grant said he pulled a hunk of shrapnel from his humvee’s armored plating. Shrapnel destroyed another vehicle’s headlights. A person in that Humvee got hit with shrapnel but his Kevlar body armor prevented any injury.

“He was pretty shaken up though,” Grant said.

Grant’s primary job is driving Humvees escorting convoys carrying supplies and equipment around Baghdad and across Iraq. Some missions may take only a few hours but others may take days.

When the convoys leave congested urban areas, Grant often swaps positions with the turret gunner.

“We all have to train on every position in case we get hit,” he said.

Grant said he wears 50 to 60 pounds of body armor and carries a 9-mm pistol and M4 rifle when he’s in Iraq.

When he’s driving, Grant said he gives his full attention to the job so there isn’t much time to get many impressions of the Iraqi people.

While standing watches in guard towers, Grant does get to observe Iraqi children playing.

He said a favorite game is blowing up bottles using heaters from discarded MRE packages. When infantry and Marines poured through Baghdad early in the invasion, Grant said lots of things were discarded, mainly packaging from Meals Ready to Eat, packaged meals that only required heating over small cans.

Living conditions at his base — Camp Cuervo — are good and getting better, he said. While on leave, he bought a laptop. By the time he returns, Internet hookups might be available in his room. If not, his company has a computer room with Internet connections, the base has its own computer zone and nearby is an Internet cafe.

He arrived with a list of movies and video games to purchase for friends. Some titles on his list haven’t been released yet.

“I’ll have to break that news gently to some guys,” he said.

Before his leave ends, Grant will drive to Spokane to visit his mother, Michelle Hoffman.

Grant plans on starting college work soon but he’s not sure about plans for life after the Army. Working for the FBI or the State Patrol sound promising.

“I like law enforcement,” he said.