call of duty

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Army couple poised for Iraq return. Married in May, they face new tours with readiness for duty. Newly weds Colin and Charlsey Mahle are Army Captains being redeployed to Iraq later this year. "I love going out," he says of leading his soldiers on daily patrols. His dad, Emmett Mahle, also an Army veteran, admits hes worried about his son going to war again. Meet the young, all-American couple. Just married in late May, Colin and Charlsey Mahle graduated from top schools, already have found success in their chosen fields and have big plans for their futures, both personal and professional. Now, say goodbye. They're both headed for Iraq--he for his third tour of duty, she for her second. Both are Army captains, and are ready and willing to serve once again, though they view war and their place in it very differently. Colin 28, graduated from Virginia Military Institute and went on to become a prestigious Army Ranger. He likens war to football and says he is eager to be in the thick of things once again. He played football and baseball for four years at El Camino High School. "I love it, I love going out," Colin said of leading his soldiers on daily patrols in Iraq. "There's no other place in the entire world where you can put a rifle in someone's hands and say, 'It's either you or him." He is highly prepared for such missions. He has attended Airborne School, Ranger School, Air Assault School, and Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced schools, along with Jumpmaster School, where his completed 41 airborne jumps. "My first three years in the Army, I pretty much ran around in the woods and did all the fun stuff," he said with a smile. Charlsey, 25, who is from small-town Tennessee and is a member of the 2004 class at West Point Military Academy, is content serving on the staff of the commanding general. Her job is comparable to an event planner in civilian life. Aware that the war is increasingly unpopular with Americans, Charlsey said, 'It's OK for people to be frustrated by the war as long as they don't take it out on the soldiers". The couple were the guests of honor at a recent Sacramento garden party hosted by Colin's parents, Emmett and Barbara Mahle. The event served a dual purpose--toasting their new life and honoring them for their service to their country. In many ways, Colin is following in his father's footsteps, Emmett Mahle, a longtime lawyer in Sacramento who graduated from West Point in 1967, was a Ranger and company commander in 1970 in the central highlands of Vietnam. He says he was in 20 to 30 firefights over six months and lost 19 of 120 men under his command. Though he is proud of his son and his accomplishments, he admits he is worried about the many months ahead. During a recent interview, the elder Mahle's voice cracked several times when he discussed the realities of seeing his son go off to war once again, Colin and Charlsey are expected to leave for Iraq in late Autumn and stay for 15 months. "I just get emotional about the whole process," Emmett Mahle explained. "We only have one child, but we're 110 percent behind Colin and Charlsey. My wife and I talk about it every night. She goes through a lot more than I do." He added: "Being an Army man, I support the Army tradition. Colin is a professional soldier. He's well trained and he will go pretty much where the Army sends him, and we support that. "There's a thing called 'The Ranger Creed' that Colin and I both live by." Part of the creed states, "Energetically will i meet the entries of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country." Colin has heard about the importance of being a Ranger since he was a little boy. Given his background, he can come off as supremely confident. That didn't set well with Charlsey when she met him while they were working at the same brigade headquarters at Fort Hood, Texas, where they are still stationed. "I went home that day and said, 'I just met the most cocky, stuck-up captain I've ever met," she said with a laugh. Colin asked her for a tour of the post and soon asked her for a date. She declined, explaining she was seeing someone else. Colin replied, "I'll wait." Within three months they were engaged. Charlsey says being at war tends to speed up time in a relationship. During her last tour, she was able to fly from her post in Baghdad to Colin's base to the north at Taji."The time we got to spend together was very special," she said."It makes you ask yourself the important questions a little more quickly." Despite his confident demeanor, Colin has a softer side emerges in wartime. During his last tour in Iraq, he devoted himself to writing personal letters to all 164 families of soldiers under his command. Because it would be complicated for husband and wife to both enjoy successful careers as officers in the Army, one of them will likely seek a civilian career. Charlsey says she hopes to earn a master's degree in marriage and family counseling. Asked how she deals with having a husband who relishes the challenge of being in combat, Charlsey said,"I'm a Christian and I feel very strongly about God's plan for people. If one of us is injured, or even killed, we'll deal with it. It will be God's plan."