Two 152 mm artillery rounds planted in the packed dirt had exploded. The blast tore off a 60- to 80-pound plate steel shield in front of Spc. Stephen Brown's turret-mounted machine gun and whipped it over his head.

"I didn't even know at the time, it happened so fast," said Brown, 43, a National Guard member from Puyallup, Wash.

Both soldiers are with Task Force Konohiki, whose mission is to train an Iraqi army battalion as part of the effort to have Iraqi forces take over security in their own country.

Of the 32 soldiers in the task force, 17 are Hawai'i National Guard, 100th Battalion, or regular Army out of Hawai'i.

Anguay and Brown can count themselves among the fraternity of U.S. service members who have experienced an improvised explosive device, or IED, and both can count themselves lucky.

Roadside bombs are the No. 1 killer of U.S. forces in Iraq. Last Wednesday's blast caused hand injuries for Spc. Greg Moore of Pearl City, and the 29th Brigade soldier was medevaced to Germany.

Konohiki commander Lt. Col. Steve Hawley said Moore "already was ready to come back." But he'll need continued medical treatment. An interpreter also was injured in the blast, which caused some damage to the rear of the vehicle.

Hawley credited the add-on armor on the Humvee with shielding the soldiers from the blast.

Iraqi army soldiers along on the patrol exchanged gunfire with the suspected bombers.

Anguay and Brown reflected on the explosion outside the concrete above-ground ammo bunk-

er that serves as the task force's home. Both were pretty unfazed by the blast emotionally, but Brown has some shrapnel in his hands and a minor cut on his neck. Anguay also received a minor cut on his neck.

"I got a hickey," Anguay said laughing, and turning his head to show the nick. "That was basically it."

He credits Moore with doing a great job driving the Humvee. "Even though he was in great pain, he was able to drive us out of the kill zone," Anguay said.

It was the second close call for Anguay, 33, a 1990 Campbell High School graduate who worked as a customer service representative for Circuit City before the Iraq deployment.

A vehicle with Wisconsin National Guard soldiers in front of his got hit by a roadside bomb early in the deployment. Anguay said luck didn't enter into it.

"That doesn't begin to describe how I feel," he said.

"You've got the grace of God, that's how I feel. I think he had his hand on every single one of us that day."