we need to talk to mom. >> narrator: marabelle went to war in iraq. what was it like to see her in uniform? >> it was -- it was pretty amazing. >> reporter: giselle is lucy's daughter, marabelle's niece. >> sometimes i was like, whoa, you're going out there like to save everybody. >> reporter: you were proud of her? >> yeah. >> reporter: marabelle learned how to jump out of airplanes and manned the guns for armed convoys. she saw more than her share of combat. she also made sergeant, and when her tour in iraq ended, she re-enlisted for another. she seemed fearless. she could very easily have become a casualty? >> yes, and other people did die. other friends of hers. >> narrator: in 2009, after two tours in iraq, marad business bel auto -- marabelle left the army and enrolled in college. adjusting back to civilian life wasn't as easy as she expected. like a lot of war veterans, she suffered from post traumatic stress disorder or ptsd. she'd seen some terrible things. she ever talk about that? >> not with me. >> reporter: instead, she focused on school,