A young writer receives some inspiration after meeting a pair of military dogs working for the United States Army. He later submits his draft for review, with surprising results.

Golden Writer

"Ohhh, this'll never work! I'll never be put to good use!" Frustrated, Benjamin crumples up a draft he is working on and chucks it into the cream colored trash bin beside his desk. The young dog is working on a draft for an interview session yet he keeps hitting snags and roadblocks in his writing. The problem is, he has never actually conducted an interview before. He has heard and seen them play out on television but he has never actually conducted one before. To make matters worse for the male dog, it is a project he is working on as part of his homework, so time is running down. Fortunately, he has a good amount to concoct something that will hopefully be on par to give him a passing grade, and then his school vacation will begin.

Just when Benjamin is beginning to run out of ideas, the dog suddenly perks up in discovery, "Maybe I can head outside and investigate. That should help!"

~~~~~

After going outside for a comfortable jog, the exercise made his juices flow. This simple run is what Benjamin needed to collect his thoughts together. Now, the Retriever mix is sitting at a park, cooling off.

Benjamin's little exercise is enough to collect himself, leaving him ready to make mobile notes down while by himself. While he is alone, taking in his surroundings, he notices a pair of retriever dogs, one golden and one light yellow, a short distance away. A light bulb brightens up above his head upon contemplating his decision. Getting up, he self-consciously muses to himself, 'Maybe I'll interview them. Yeah, I can introduce myself to them, interview them, and submit that for my project.'

The two retriever dogs, both males, are just chatting away when Benjamin strolls up to them, a nervous smile gracing his face. "Hello, I'm Benjamin! I'm looking to submit a writing project for an assignment, so I was wondering if I could interview you guys? What are your names?"

Hearing the kid's request, the two retriever dogs glance knowingly at each other and one of them, the golden one, introduces himself, "My name is McGee Toledo, and with me is my buddy, Johnny Gilmar. You can interview us. Ask us whatever's on your mind and we'll tell you."

"Well you guys can start off telling me about yourselves." Benjamin requested sheepishly.

Looking into Benjamin's eyes with his own turquoise eyes, McGee relates, "Well Johnny and I are both in the army, though we are in separate units. I chose the Green Beret specialty because I figured it's the perfect match for me, while Johnny went to the Military Police Corps. I am a Staff Sergeant in my league while Johnny holds the rank of Captain. While we're both best friends and love each other, I am currently single."

"Very interesting…" Benjamin is typing down the information on his smartphone to save later. "...and what about you, Johnny? OK, what led you to take up military police? And McGee, same thing to you - what drew you to the Green Beret field? That is one of the hardest military jobs ever."

McGee purses his lips, attempting to come up with a logical explanation. What is it that really drew him to the Green Beret field of work? Finally, McGee responds, "I suppose it's the action and intensity of being on the front lines of battle; stopping and securing enemy strongholds while putting terrorists down in the process." He cracks a smile while continuing, "It is a very taxing process, but in the end, it's worth it. It's worth the safety of the globe."

Johnny comments with a disdainful grunt, asserting his view on his MOS profession. "I still find Military Police as boring sometimes because of the lack of action, but with all the training exercises we've been doing," he too cracks a smirk, "I'd say it's all paying off. I've come to appreciate my MOS as Military Police." Standing up, Johnny suddenly delivers a full-blown, powerful proclamation. "ASSIST! PROTECT! DEFEND! CAPTAIN JOHNNY GILMAR OF THE 25TH MILITARY POLICE CORPS AT YOUR SERVICE! HOOAH!!"

The last thing Benny, and even McGee, expected is a full-fledged, snapping salute by Johnny, to which McGee slowly returns. Even Benny joins in, saluting the two military dogs in return.

After things calm down, Benny acknowledges the two, "Regardless of where you serve, I want to thank you for your service. Especially you, Johnny. No matter how small your military profession may seem, it is still very valuable."

With a grumble, Johnny accepts the compliment; but not without rolling his eyes, "Hmph, thanks. Truth be told, McGee deserves more credit since he has one of the more extreme jobs in the military."

"Oh shucks, I'm just doing my part." McGee brushes off the recommendation while also reluctantly accepting the compliment.

After some consideration, McGee admits, "Apart from being one of the most extreme Army MOS fields, the Green Beret field is one of those areas where it's not only life-and-death, but also life-saving work because you're taking enemy figures off the map for good. One less terrorist on this planet to deal with."

"Too bad television shows make it all look so easy and practical to pull off." Johnny complained. "The actual training must be ruthless, I imagine."

"No doubt about that, Johnny. You got that right." Benny is left staring wondrously between the two yellow dogs with McGee confirming the training difficulty. This leaves the husky mix breathing, "Wow… I never imagined the training you guys go through. It must be awful compared to how it's portrayed on television."

"Kid, if you ever decide to join the military, you'll find it's not so easy. If you ever manage to make it through Basic Training, then call me." Johnny replied, half-serious, half-sarcastic.

McGee just grins at Benny, though he does have an inquisitive gleam in his eyes. He wonders, "So Benny, what led you to interview us?"

"I explained to you guys already - it's for a school project I'm working on." Benny reminded them. While he scowls at the pair, he remains happy to conduct his interview with them. In fact, the rest of the day is spent with Benny learning more about the two retrievers. And by the time sunset comes around, Benny is home, rearranging some things around on his paper. Finally, the husky mix is finished, gazing up at his finished essay. "Finally done! Now I can turn this in and hope for the best!"

~~~~~

After submitting his project assignment in, Benjamin is left anxiously waiting for the results. Finally, the test results show him in the green range - a passing grade! But that is not all.

Not only does Benjamin receive a passing grade for his assignment and commendation from his teachers, but the husky mix was also surprised to see his interview in a local news article. While his assignment earns him many awards, Benjamin felt overwhelmed by the cacophony of praise pouring in from all sides, and all he was doing was a school assignment.

To make things more interesting, Benjamin's interview entry becomes the topic of a local news headline that is televised on-air, so Benjamin was later contacted with the request to appear at the news studio for his own interview. Overwhelmed by the massive amount of attention he is receiving, the male dog nervously declines the news interview.

Finally making his way home, Benjamin shuts his door and wanders upstairs to his room, still shaking from what's been happening.

"I need… I need to take a break!" The overwhelmed canine retreats to his personal room upstairs where he closes the door behind him. After a bit of browsing, Benjamin sights what appears to be a handheld gaming console sticking out from a bookshelf. From its red end, it appears to be a Nintendo Switch. With his mind made up, the young dog retrieves his Nintendo Switch and plops down on his bed, muttering to himself, "Maybe some down time will work. I gotta clear my head somehow."

~~~~~

Benjamin belongs to IshKota from ToyHouse; Johnny Gilmar and McGee Toledo belong to me!