Daniel Domin spent most of 2006 dodging bullets, mortar rounds and other potentially lethal weaponry while risking his life to serve his country in Iraq.

Alive and well, Domin is home to spend Christmas with his family in Dunbarton, and his father, Pastor Doug Domin of the First Presbyterian Church of Concord, couldn’t be more greatful.

“Every time he can come home we are just so thankful to have him here, and we cherish these times and are so thankful to God that God watched over him while he was in Iraq,” said the Doug Domin.

“We’re proud of him for what he did in combat while facing danger for the war on terror,” he said. “We’ve seen a lot of growth and maturity in him, and we’re just very thankful and appreciative to him for all he has done over there.”

Domin, 22, a member of the U.S. Marine Corps 3rd Battalion Infantry Division, spent the majority of his time in Iraq in Ar Ramadi, where he said up to 60 percent of insurgent attacks in Iraq occur.

“We knew going in that the unit we were relieving had taken a lot of casualties,” he said. “It’s been on CNN all the time and just a really hot place (for attack). I knew a lot about what was going on there so it was kind of unnerving, but also kind of exciting as well.”

He spent seven months, from March to October, in the region training Iraqi soldiers fighting of insurgents. His unit lost 17 Marines and sailors.

“For that area, it’s really hard to keep a good attitude because nothing good is going on there,” he said. “But, we went into the worst place and we did really well.” Domin said soldiers basically get paid to be miserable.

“But that’s the life of a grunt,” he said. “But you love it. You love to be miserable because you’re doing something that nobody else can do.”

While he’s seen a lot of horrible things, he sleeps well at night and looks forward to going back to Iraq in the near future, Domin said.

Though Ar Ramadi is a tough place to serve, he said a lot of good things are going on in other areas of Iraq, including the spread of democracy.

Now stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Domin has also come home for Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving, a gift his mother welcomes wholeheartedly.

“Having him home for the holidays is much more special, as opposed to him coming home from college, because he can be called back up; that’s something every mother fears,” said Linda Domin.

With their son risking his life several thousand miles from home, the Domins are forced to rely on their faith and family while Daniel was deployed.

“Every time we heard of a Marine being killed or injured or an IED going off, it hit home and we always wondered if we were going to get a visit from the Marines,” said Doug Domin. “We pray a lot, and when I would wake up in the middle of the night, I would just pray for him and God’s protection of him and all the men that were with him.

“My wife and I have each other and we have the Lord and we’re supported through the whole family and our friends who pray for us, so we’re surrounded by a lot of support.”

Though Domin misses the action in Iraq, he said he sees his time at home in a different light now.

“I’m definitely grateful to be home, especially intact both physically and mentally,” he said. “Being put in harm’s way on a 24/7 basis, you definitely develop an appreciation for your family and the small things in life,” he said.

Domin entered the Marines in 2005 to take advantage of the educational benefits and to be part of “the most well-renowned infantry fighting force in the world.”

Over the next couple of months, Domin will train to become a recognizance Marine, something he said could place him among the elite soldiers in the world.

When Domin’s military service is completed in May 2009, he plans to go back to college, maybe even Harvard or Yale, and work in private contracting.