In the Army Now

Bones and Jack are fired after destroying a rack of televisions at Crazy Boys in Glendale, California. They decide to pursue a quick start-up for their own electronics store by joining the Army Reserves, lured by the slogan 'One weekend a month, two weeks a year.' The incident kicks off their unlikely military path.

They begin basic and specialized training, with Bones choosing water purification as their field. During training they meet Christine Jones, a recruit who longs to serve infantry, and Fred Ostroff, a dental student who is skittish about the future. The group adopts the nickname 'waterboys' and prepares to return to Glendale when the assignment begins.

Unaware of Libya's plans, Bones and Jack are called to service overseas in Chad. They initially attempt to obtain a discharge by pretending to be homosexual, but their ruse is discovered and rejected. The plan to avoid combat is dashed as orders set them on a dangerous tour.

The reservists struggle to integrate with the full-time soldiers, especially Staff Sergeant Stern. On a routine resupply mission, their convoy is ambushed by Libyan commandos and thought to be killed in action, leaving them to survive in the desert. The misfit unit's survival instincts kick in as they navigate hostile territory.

After several days, they are captured by Libyan forces and spend a night in a POW camp. There they meet Staff Sergeant Stern, who has also been captured and is wounded. Stern briefs them on his failed mission to link up with HALO Fast Attack vehicles and destroy mobile Scud launchers carrying chemical warheads.

During an airstrike, Bones, Jack, Christine Jones, Fred Ostroff, and Staff Sergeant Stern escape Libyan forces and locate the HALO Fast Attack vehicles. They contact the American headquarters and are ordered to finish the Special Forces mission. The escape marks a turning point from mere survival to active combat operation.

The team locates the mobile Scud missiles and fights to hold off a Libyan battalion while preparing for an airstrike. They paint the missiles with a laser designator, coordinating with the upcoming strike and rallying around each other to survive a heavy assault.

The airstrike goes off-target, forcing Bones and the others to take matters into their own hands. Bones uses an AT4 anti-tank rocket to obliterate the Scud launcher base, but a ricocheting rocket is fired backward, leaving them to expend their last remaining rocket in the fight.

The mission is completed, and the four reservists return to the United States as heroes. Their survival and decisive actions in Chad elevate their status among peers and locals alike, marking a dramatic transformation from misfit soldiers to celebrated veterans.

Back home, Bones and Jack realize their dream and open an electronics shop adjacent to an Army recruiting station. The shop becomes a symbol of civilian life finally taking root after their grueling tour. The juxtaposition raises questions as new recruits nearby watch them with skepticism.

In the film's closing moment, two men resembling the 'waterboys' stand near the recruiting station, clearly unsure about joining the reserves. The ending underscores the thin line between the thrill of enlistment and the reality of commitment. Their story leaves the door open for a similar arc in the future.