By William Croyle
Enquirer contributor

Sgt. Joe Smith of Florence, 23, and Trisha Saltzgaver, 24, of Texas, check their marriage license at the Boone county clerk's office. Smith graduated from Boone County High in 1999 and has been posted in Bosnia, Korea and Iraq. The Enquirer/PATRICK REDDY

FLORENCE - Last year at this time, Joe Smith was the maintenance crew chief on Apache helicopters in Iraq that were in search of Saddam Hussein. Today, two days after being promoted to sergeant, he's back home preparing for his wedding.

The 1999 Boone County High School graduate and his fiancee, Trisha Saltzgaver of Austin, Texas, drove 1,100 miles Thursday and Friday from Fort Hood, Texas, to his parents' house in Florence. He and Trisha were here for only an hour before getting their marriage license. The wedding is Friday.

It's the first time Smith, 23, has been home in 18 months. He was in Iraq from March 2003 to March 2004. Before that, he served in Bosnia for six months. He spent a year in Korea, too.

He joined the Army right out of high school, making a six-year commitment. It's something he always wanted to do.

"I did it to serve my country and to get the chance to travel, which I've accomplished," said Smith.

He is part of the 1-4 Aviation Battalion from the 4th Infantry Division in Fort Hood. About 300 soldiers in his battalion were stationed just outside Tikrit. Every one of them returned home safely.

He said the highlight of his service was the capture of Saddam Hussein in December. He was also glad to see power handed over to the Iraqis last week and said conditions in the country are improving.

"It's going to take more time, but I can see it becoming a free country," said Smith. "It's getting better. It's not nearly as bad as when we first went over there."

Smith proposed to Saltzgaver 13 days before he left for Iraq.

"Most of the time I tried to avoid listening to the news so I wouldn't worry," she said. "It was hard, but I made it through it."

In the early months of Smith's tour in Iraq, Saltzgaver was able to talk with Smith by phone for only about five minutes every couple of weeks. Eventually, he was able to call more often and talk online - a means of communication they were both familiar with.

"We met online about four years ago while I was stationed in Bosnia - one of those personal ad Web sites," said Smith.

Smith will serve his final year of duty at Fort Hood, though he may not be done. "I'm still trying to decide if I want to re-enlist, but I probably will," he said. And he has no objections to going back to Iraq, if necessary.

E-mail williamcroyle@yahoo.com