There is no way to overstate the level of sacrifice that it takes to be a soldier and fight for your country’s continued right to freedom. Not only do soldiers place their own lives at risk every day when they step out onto the battlefield, but they also leave behind all of the friends and loved ones during the process.

While human beings are able to understand their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters will hopefully be returning at some point, we can’t even imagine how hard this must be for all of the fur babies out there. They have no ability to grasp the information or realize that their parents are doing everything in their power to make it back to them.

They have no idea where their beloved humans are, they have no way of contacting them and they have zero chance of knowing when they will return. It must be heartbreaking to wake up every morning, hoping that this is the day that your owner comes back, only to end up let down day after day.

The soldier that you are about to meet is named Hannah and she is a private in the United States army. When Hannah left to undergo basic training, she was forced to part ways with her senior dog for the first time in either of their lives. She had owned Buddy for 13 years and they had spent the entire time together, never leaving each other’s sides, no matter what.

But duty calls and Hannah had to break the news to her best friend. To make matters even worse, Buddy’s health is beginning to deteriorate, as her arthritis is getting progressively more painful and the pup has lost much of her ability to hear. The fur baby missed her mother terribly and you will definitely want to see what happens when Hannah finally gets a break and returns home to see her loved ones.

This clip is an absolute joy to watch and a necessary reminder of everything that our soldiers leave behind when it is time to defend our nation. It truly makes you appreciate all of the hard work that they put in, as well as their unique level of sacrifice.