NATCHEZ &045; Fires, explosions and heavy clashes between U.S. forces and

insurgents in the city of Fallujah on Tuesday were in sharp contrast to the peaceful hometown where Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick Krueger is enjoying a short reunion with family and friends.

After his second tour in Iraq &045; in the very city where the serious clashes are under way this week &045; he was ready for a rest, happy for the chance, finally, to see his son, born in July, and to be reunited with his wife, Jessica.

Still, he was quick to admit, he can’t help longing to be back in Iraq, back in that city he describes as &uot;a world of hate,&uot; helping fellow Marines to go door to door to rout out the guerillas responsible for so much of the terror that reigns in the war-torn country.

&uot;I want to be back there right now. I miss it,&uot; he said. &uot;I’d love to be in the middle of that city with all those other guys.&uot;

Instead, though, he is at home, trying to soak up the normal routines of a husband and new dad, spending an occasional day at the hunting camp and &uot;ducking his head at the sound of a gun,&uot; just an instinct, he explained.

As a combat engineer, he has learned to drive a huge bulldozer, a vehicle that becomes a mighty weapon in war time. &uot;We do everything. We find weapons caches, blow up their weapons, find roadside bombs, tear down buildings and houses when a city is bombed, pushing rubble out of the way.&uot;

In fact, Krueger’s was the first vehicle to enter Baghdad on April 7, 2003, the day of the initial entry of U.S. forces into that city. Little did he know at the time that he would later receive the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for heroism on that day. He was just doing his job &045; sizing up the situation and getting busy to construct an approach for the bridge that would be critical for troop crossing into the city.

He is modest about the medal. And he does not mind admitting that Marines can be frightened. The first few days of his Iraqi experience were literally hair-raising. &uot;It’s like when you get scared and hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It’s like that all day,&uot; he said. &uot;But you get used to it. It gets to the point that you miss the action when you don’t have it.&uot;

At 20, he never would have dreamed he might be a Marine, he said. He joined at 22 and now has served for two and a half years. &uot;I wanted to do something for our country,&uot; he said. He did it the hard way.

&uot;It’s hard becoming a Marine. First they break you down to where you think you’re nothing. And then they build you back up. I never had the discipline before. I think we’re the most fiercely feared service in the world because of the discipline.&uot;

In Natchez until Saturday, when he reports for duty at Camp Pendleton, Calif., he is enjoying little things, like being able to walk into a gas station to get a Coca-Cola.

&uot;And I like getting to sleep all night without mortars falling beside you, not waking up with the ground shaking from being hit, being able to go places without worrying about being shot,&uot; he said.

Wire reports on Tuesday included this line, &uot;So far, the military has only confirmed five deaths and 14 wounded in Fallujah: three troops killed Tuesday, and two Marines who died in a bulldozer accident Monday.&uot;

&uot;Those were guys that replaced us,&uot; he said of the bulldozer operators. &uot;They are going through hell right now. Almost every day when you are there, you think, ‘we may not make it through this day,’&uot;

Tough and disciplined though they are, Marines do cry, he said with a smile as he described the moment he saw his son for the first time. &uot;That has been the highlight of this time for me, being with my wife and son.&uot;