To put it bluntly, the U.S. army needs more people.

Enlistments have been going steadily down for years with all of the dangerous conflict in the world, and young people just don’t want to seem to serve.

To remedy this, the brass have roped some of their Special Forces units into going out and interacting with the public, to try and show off the “glamor” of military life.

However, kids and teenagers aren’t exactly excited about the idea of being shipped off to a foreign country to be shot up and then brought back home in a body bag. After several incidents that ended with furious parents complaining that their children had been “traumatized” by the soldiers’ blunt honesty, the higher-ups realized that maybe they should be a little more tactful.

So they figure out what young people do like. Phones, skateboarding, ice cream, Disney movies? Who the hell knows. These are a bunch of unmarried middle-aged men trying to figure out how to connect with their very much non-usual audience. None of those things really work. But what does everybody love?

Dogs!

Military canines are the perfect solution to the army’s problem. Handlers can take their K-9s out to pre-planned events and show them off, and talk about how the partnership between man and dog works.

One such event is your summer camp. It’s a homeschool co-op, meaning that kids that are usually isolated at home with their parents get precious freedom to mingle with others their own age.

The summer camp is six weeks in total, with lots of activities like hiking, swimming, sports, and sharing s’mores around a campfire. Sure, there’s no AC and a lot of mosquitoes, but this is the first time you haven’t had your mother and father hovering over your shoulder in forever.

Two weeks in, one of the camp counselors announces that two Special Forces sergeants are going to be coming in with their K-9 to give a brief presentation. It seems fun enough, and you do like dogs a lot.

The next day, everyone is roused bright and early to gather around the fire pit, which is empty at the moment due to the hot climb of the sun in the sky.

Before long, two men pull up in a jeep, parking along the path before getting out and walking up. One of the men is taller and lanky, with lean muscles, a bit of facial scruff, and buzzed hair hidden under a ratty beanie. The other is a little shorter and more compact, his hair longer but still short due to military regulations. However, despite their differences, they look immensely similar, and must be brothers. Both are wearing standard camouflage ACUs with a patch on the sleeve that marks them as part of a specialized team.

“My name is David Walker,” the taller man announces, stepping forward. “But you can call me Hesh or Sergeant, whichever you prefer. This is my brother, Logan, and this…”

He gestures down to a large, thickly-built German Shepherd panting in the mounting July heat. The animal is wearing a black vest with an American flag patch and the words ‘Military K-9 Unit. Please do not pet while on duty.’

“…is our dog, Riley.”