KANE'OHE — Marine Corps Base Hawaii's latest recruit breaks the mold with his laid-back attitude and nonregulation hairstyle. But he's highly trained and devoted to his unit.

Pressed into service about a month ago, Finn, a yellow Labrador retriever, is stationed at the Wounded Warrior Battalion at the Kane'ohe base. His duty is simple — bring joy to the people around him — but his ability to carry it out took two years of rigorous training that's expected of any Marine.

A highly trained service dog, Finn spends his days in a comfortable air conditioned lounge filled with brown leather sofas, computers, a television and game table. The people there are recuperating and Finn brings a touch of home and a sense of calm to a sometimes alien or depressing situation.

Upon arrival people are greeted by Finn with his tail wagging and eager to grab your gear and carry it for you. Newcomers get a special sniff or two and familiar faces bring a sparkle to his eyes, and a feeling of homecoming.

Everyone likes Finn, said Pfc. James Burns, from Louisiana. Finn is beautiful, smart, big and impresses people with his abilities, Burns said.

"Everybody asks if he can grab a beer from the refrigerator," Burns said, adding that he's pretty sure Finn could learn to do that.

The men in the lounge all agree Finn boosts the morale there.

"He's a lap dog too," said Burns, 22. "He likes to jump up in your lap. He's easy to love."

Cpl. Masato Takaki, 21, said the atmosphere in the barracks has changed since Finn arrived. The dog means more responsibilities for the soldiers but they all love it, Takaki said.

"Everybody is more relaxed with him around," he said. "Everybody plays with him. He loves the attention."

He'll play if the men are playful or he'll remain quiet, if the men are quiet, said Sgt. Karlo Salgado, in charge of the Wounded Warrior barracks.

The Wounded Warrior barracks was designed to aid in the recovery of war or other injuries or illnesses. It's a place for rehabilitation, recuperation and transition back into the force or civilian life, said Salgado, who takes Finn home at night and on weekends.

"(Finn) has contributed significantly," he said. "He's here more for morale. He's very consistent with his attitude. As you can see, he's always playful so he definitely breaks up the monotony here."

Finn is the first service dog to be placed in a barracks in Hawai'i, said Susan Luehrs, executive director for Hawaii Fi-Do, a nonprofit group that obtained, trained and donated Finn for this particular duty.

Finn, short for Finnegan, is more of a companion dog, but he has about 80 skills such as opening doors, that he can use if necessary, Luehrs said.

Hawaii Fi-Do works mostly with labradoodles, a cross between a Labrador and a poodle, but the Marines wanted a manly dog, she said. Finn was one of two Labs being trained for Marine use. His brother, Frank, went to a Kane'ohe Marine, Luehrs said, and a third young yellow Lab donated by veterinarian Mark Caspers and his wife is also being trained for barracks duty.

The need for a companion dog is great, she said.

When the wounded return from war, they suffer from a wide range of problems including depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome, Luehrs said.

"We're coming back with a lot more injured young people and they're saying we'd rather be walking with a dog than a cane," she said, adding that demand is growing.

The organization is working with Congress to pass legislation that would pay for training and upkeep of these animals, Luehrs said. Typically it takes two years and costs about $20,000 to train an animal, not including the price to purchase a puppy.

Normally service dogs are trained to be with one person, but Finn had to be trained to be adaptable to a lot of change, she said.

Some of his training took place at Hickam where he could get used to the activities and noise associated with a base.

He's still being trained, Luehrs said.

"We're really proud of him," she said. "He had all of his service dog's skills but because of his personality and socialness, we felt this would be the perfect setting for him."