Sgt. Chris Duke was serving in Afghanistan when a suicide bomber tried to attack his base in the middle of the night. He and his fellow National Guardsmen woke up to Rufus, Target, and Sasha — three stray dogs adopted by the soldiers — barking feverishly.

The three dogs were actually blocking the suicide bomber from entering the camp, biting his leg in the process. The attacker was startled by the heroic dogs and was forced to detonate the bomb before entering. Miraculously, all 50 soldiers survived that night. Sasha, the youngest pup, died from sustained injuries.

One month later, Duke’s deployment ended. He headed home to Georgia, where he got to work on getting Rufus and Target off the dangerous streets of Afghanistan and transporting them to the states. It was no easy feat, but Duke was determined to be reunited with the two surviving canines.

Hope for the Warriors, a group that works to grant the wishes of injured soldiers and their families, put out a call for help. In the end, a whopping $21,000 was raised to finally bring the dogs home. The target was adopted by the army medic who saved the dog’s life after the blast. Rufus is now part of Duke’s forever family.

Duke was stunned by the reunion in Atlanta, but he and his wife covet the opportunity to give Rufus the best life possible, in exchange for his.