Sgt. Christopher Smith spent part of Monday in a motor pool at Grafenwöhr, preparing tanks for shipment to the Middle East. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)

Editor’s note: Like many other soldiers, Sgt. Christopher Smith is facing a third deployment to Iraq. Stripes plans to follow Smith to chronicle his time in the war zone. This is the first of an occasional series.

GRAFENWÖHR, Germany- The scars on the young tanker’s face are souvenirs from the last time he was in Iraq.

At 23, Sgt. Christopher Smith, originally from Hellensborough, Scotland, has already deployed to Iraq twice, and he’s getting ready to go back next month with thousands of comrades from the 172nd Infantry Brigade.

On Monday, he was in a motor pool at Grafenwöhr, checking tanks for oil leaks to get them ready to ship to the war zone.

Smith could be excused if he was not enthusiastic about the yearlong mission. He’s leaving behind his wife, Marion, and two sons, Cameron, 3, and Cody, 2.

The first time he went to Iraq was in 2003, soon after joining the Army at 17.

During a second deployment, in 2006, with 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, his tank was hit numerous times by bombs.

"I got blown up a lot, but there was one time where I received a Purple Heart. That’s why I’ve got all these lacerations on my face," he said, brushing the scars that run past his right eye.

Smith, a tank gunner, said he and the rest of his crew were knocked unconscious by the equivalent of a 500-pound bomb that tore open their Abrams tank during a patrol in Baghdad.

"There was oil squirting everywhere and it was hot. Nobody knew if the tank was on fire. As I pushed myself out there was blood spurting onto the top of the tank and that’s when I knew I was badly hurt," he said.

The blast tore open Smith’s face and compressed the bones in his leg. But, amazingly, he was back on patrol the next day, he said.

Does he spend much time thinking about the danger awaiting him on the latest deployment?

"Everybody is scared. It could happen to any of us. The enemy is just as unpredictable as anything," he said, adding that he lost a lot of good friends last time he was in Iraq.

"At first it affected me, but you just think about the good times with your friends. You don’t think about the event [when they were killed]. I never talk about the bad stuff because it just brings up bad memories," he said.

Despite all that has happened, Smith, who is in the process of becoming an American citizen, is keen to get back to the action.

"Everybody is going to tell you that they prefer to stay with their family, but in the long run there’s a job to do. It’s our turn and somebody has got to go and relieve the guys down there," he said.

Deploying is a good move for someone like Smith, who plans to make the Army his career, he said.

"You don’t want to get into that part of the Army where you stay away and miss all your deployment time. Now a big factor in careers is how much time has this person spent leading in combat," he said.

Going into a third Iraq tour, does the desert feel like home?

"It still doesn’t feel like a home away from home in Iraq," Smith said. "You make it as comfortable as you can but you can’t wait to get home and see your wife and kids. Then once you get home you are like: ‘Damn, I wouldn’t mind hanging out with the guys again.’ "