Iraq is never far from view for Pfc. Thomas "T.J." Ponce as he recuperates from war wounds at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

All he has to do is close his eyes, and the 19-year-old Maui soldier is back with his buddies on a quick-response team that rolls into action to assist U.S. troops caught in intense gun battles.

On May 5, Ponce's squad was protecting workers and equipment being used to rebuild barriers at a joint security station in Sadr City, Baghdad, after a suicide car bombing when his armored Humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. He says he was lucky to survive with only shrapnel wounds and second-degree burns to his face and arms, although it looks like he'll lose most of the vision in his right eye.

"I'm healthy, but it's my eye. I'm wearing a patch, like a pirate," Ponce said. "But I have my left eye. I'm happy."

A year ago, Ponce was a Maui High School senior eagerly preparing for graduation and Army boot camp. He had signed up for the service's delayed enlistment program when he was a junior at the Kahului campus.

"I wanted to be a better person. There were a lot of goals I wanted to do, and the island is small. You do the same thing every day, and you're driving in a circle. I wanted to see new things and experience new things, and push myself and push my body," he said.

The Army didn't disappoint. "There were a lot of challenges: jumping out of airplanes, live-fire exercises, throwing grenades and blowing stuff up. You learn to overcome fear," he said.

He volunteered for hazardous duty with the airborne infantry, and was assigned to D Company, 2nd Battalion of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, N.C.

"I wanted to fight with the best," he said.

On Dec. 27, while spending the holidays with his family, Ponce got word of his deployment. He shipped out Jan. 4, spending two weeks in desert training in Kuwait before being assigned to a combat operation post in Baghdad.

Traveling in a convoy of four Humvees carrying five soldiers each, Ponce, known as "Poncho" to his fellow soldiers, participated in night raids of insurgent hiding places and once uncovered a weapons cache containing 400 anti-personnel and anti-truck mines. His squad also responded to calls for assistance from other troops under fire.

"If anybody needs help, we gear up in five minutes and drive into firefights to provide backup," he said.

Just as dangerous were the times they investigated tips from a hot line that enabled Iraqis to report suspicious activities. Ambush was a constant concern, along with the threat of IEDs — improvised explosive devices — that could be hidden in unlikely places, even in dead animals, Ponce said.

"You don't know when you are going to get blown up," he said.

On the day he was wounded, Ponce's squad was posted to provide protection at a joint security station in Sadr City in the Adhamiyah district of Baghdad, which had sustained major damage from a bombing the previous day. Driver Ponce was sitting behind the wheel and gunner Spc. Benjamin West of Tempe, Ariz., was standing in the middle of the vehicle, next to a mounted M2 Browning 50-caliber machine gun, using binoculars to scan the surrounding buildings for snipers. The other members of the team had dismounted to hold defensive positions near where the work was being done.

"Our truck was parked in an alleyway. We had put out cones to warn the Iraqis that you can't cross the cones, and if you do, we'll shoot you," Ponce said. "Cars were driving up all the time to the cones and dropping people off. A white pickup truck came up, and an insurgent who was lying down in the bed of the truck popped up and shot us from 25 meters away. We didn't have time to react."

West, speaking by phone from Iraq, said he was peering through the binoculars when the rocket-propelled grenade detonated. "Poncho was looking at a suspicious truck, and the next thing I remember was hearing a noise and seeing a flash out of the corner of my eyes. Poncho started to yell 'RPG' but only got out the syllable 'R' before the explosion.

"The blast blew me back into the vehicle, and you're thinking you're dead and you feel the heat and the fire and think you're going to hell," said West, 21.

Ponce said he saw the grenade zoom toward the Humvee.

"I was staring at the RPG coming at me but I couldn't do nothing. 'This is it. I'm going to die.' The RPG hit the truck and I remember a big, loud boom. The door was opened by the blast and I fell out of the truck. (West) was yelling, 'Get out, Poncho!' My head was spinning, I felt dizzy."

West said he heard Ponce screaming and helped the injured soldier stagger to the rear of the burning Humvee as small-arms fire erupted around them. Another Humvee swung into position to shield them, and within 15 minutes the two soldiers were on a medical evacuation helicopter.

West suffered light shrapnel wounds and is recovering in Iraq before heading back into action. "We all miss him a lot and are very thankful that God was on point that crazy Cinco De Mayo afternoon," he said.

Ponce was flown to Lundstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, and then transferred to Walter Reed, where he underwent eye surgery. He said he is looking forward to visiting Maui next month before returning to Fort Bragg and an eventual medical discharge.

In the meantime, Ponce finds comfort in being around other soldiers who served in Iraq.

"There are a lot of wounded soldiers here who are amputees, and they lost legs and arms. I feel really lucky," he said. "Talking to each other makes us feel better because we've been to the same place and been to combat. Other wounded soldiers know what you've been through.

"You never forget about Iraq. It's always in your mind. ... Even if you aren't physically scarred, you have emotional scars."

In recent weeks, Ponce has come to appreciate how fortunate he was to survive the attack in Sadr City. At age 19, he knows that no one is invincible.

"When I was in Iraq, I didn't have much fear because you're with the best, you're with the U.S. Army and you're carrying a big machine gun. But when you wake up and you're in the hospital and you're helpless, you realize 'I'm only human,' " he said.

Ponce doesn't regret his decision to join the Army, but would like other young men and women to carefully consider making a similar commitment.

"I would advise people who want to join the military to do it for a good reason, not just for college money," he said. "You're going to get deployed to Iraq, where anything can happen."

The Maui soldier says he was surprised and moved by the support he received after his story was publicized in news reports.

"When I was in Iraq, I didn't feel that America was supporting us. I only knew my family was," he said. "In Iraq, you don't see much support. You don't see anybody waving flags. It seems like people only care when we get injured, and my squad is still in Iraq."

Ponce wants to remind Americans to keep U.S. soldiers in their thoughts.

"On Memorial Day, go out and do something to support the troops. Nobody dislikes war more than the people who fight it."

At home on Maui, Ponce's mother, Jean Okamura, reports the get-well cards are piling up for her son. Because it's not known how long he'll be at the hospital, Okamura is advising well-wishers to hang onto cards, letters and packages for now, or send them to her at 100 Ku'ualoha St. Kahului, HI 96732.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.