"It really is pretty tough, you see and hear a lot of things, and you have to be really diligent because the one time you stop, that could be a sub," he said. "That's enough motivation to stand diligent watch."

Both jobs are a heavy responsibility for the 22-year-old Pace, but one he shoulders with pride. He's got one year left in the Navy, and said he wants to complete his mission successfully.

He wants to go back to his fiancee in Norfolk, his son and the rest of his family in Utah. He said he can't wait to bite into a slice of pizza at the Summitt Inn or see just how much his quaint town has changed since the last time he visited. Pace said he was surprised when he went home to visit recently and spotted two stoplights in town.

"Every time I go home, it looks different," he said. "I can't wait to get back."

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Deseret Morning News reporter Leigh Dethman and photographer Keith Johnson recently returned from a three-week journey to the Middle East with the U.S. Navy. E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com