. >> reporter: her son is newly promoted captain kyle solar29, a veteran of two tours in iraq now in his second deployment to afghanistan. look at these figures to see just what a deadly place it is. with the draw down underway, american troops dying at a rate of one a day so far this year. >> making it more deadly for those who are there. >> this is airborne. i jump out of plains. >> reporter: we first met pat and kyle seven years ago. not long after he returned home after his first tour in iraq where his unit took heavy hits. >> we try to make it a point to celebrate their lives and get back out there the next day and it's -- it's very hard. >> reporter: his mother now has more than just her son to worry about. she was just elected the national president of blue star moms, a group formed 70 years ago during world war ii for mothers whose children are serving in the military. >> we take care of ourselves by taking care of everybody else. >> reporter: and she said they pray that their children staya live, that the blue stars in their windows don't turn gold, something that no mother