When Mike Miller of Ottawa enlisted in the Army nearly eight years ago, he had little idea what adventures and experiences his military service would bring to him.

Now, as the 30-year-old Staff Sergeant prepares for his fourth tour overseas, this time to Afghanistan, he realizes how important his job as a "ground-pounder" infantryman is for his country and the people whose countries he and other U.S. soldiers are fighting to protect.

"When I first thought about enlisting years ago, to be honest, I needed to get away from Ottawa, to gain new experiences," Miller told The Times Tuesday. "I felt I needed new structure in my life."

Before entering the military, Miller, a 1997 Ottawa Township High School graduate, worked for a couple of years as a union laborer for Local 393, building area roads, pipelines and other local projects. He also enrolled in "a few classes" at Illinois Valley Community College.

But the young man needed more. He chose the Army.

"Obviously, life in the military is not for everybody," Miller admits. "It can straighten you out or make your life worse. For me, it was a positive option with a lot of benefits. I have been to a lot of places and I have seen a lot of things I never thought I would."

Miller was part of the original invasion of Iraq in 2003 and has returned twice in the last five years to that country to serve in ground missions. "In Iraq, we were constantly assigned to missions that kept us moving. We roll out in humvees or trucks, sometimes helicopters, to various locations to maintain a strong military presence wherever we went."

Miller grows quiet when asked about the bad things he witnessed during those three tours. "I'm not the type of person who dwells on (tragic) things. (On any mission) I have a job to do and I'm proud to do it."

He is based out of Fort Campbell, which straddles the state border of Kentucky and Tennessee between Hopkinsville, Ky. and Clarksville, Tenn. His platoon of 40 soldiers is scheduled to leave for Afghanistan "sometime during the summer of 2010" as part of the military surge of 30,000 reinforcement troops recently ordered by President Obama.

To prepare the soldiers for their new assignment, Miller said his company has already been in training to learn important common phrases in the native language to better help and support the local population in protecting and rebuilding the country.

The young man expects he will be stationed in the war-torn country for "about a year" and said he is physically and mentally ready for the deployment.

He said, "We are given instruction on the culture and customs of the Afghan people and we are taught how to be courteous in our interactions with the civilians. I am proud that I am doing something worthwhile."

When Miller comes back to Ottawa on leave, he stays with his grandparents Joe and Faith Herrera on Champlain Street. As one would expect, they are proud of their grandson.

"We've had him here with us for a long time now, 15 years — half his life," Faith said. And both Herreras said they were not at all surprised when he re-enlisted twice in recent years.

"In fact, Grandpa Joe and I think Mike might make a career out of the service," Faith said.

The grandmother admits she does worry about her grandson when he is deployed in a combat area, but she knows it is his duty. "I'm so glad when he calls (from overseas)," she said. "So I know he's okay."

Miller left Tuesday afternoon after a short Christmas break for the long drive back to his base.

"And I told him he'd better call as soon as he got there," Faith said.