First of all, thank you for your service. Second, if you are considering a Kamado grill, you've come to the right place. The kk is simply the finest Kamado, and one of the finest grills of any kind available. The construction is far superior to all others, you'll never hear of broken bands, cracked fireboxes, broken domes or bottoms, warped grates, and so on. Look closely at pictures of both the kk, and any competitor, and the differences start to jump out at you. Watch you tube videos of people using their grills, and you'll see things like the kk lid lifting itself, the quality of the stainless grates, and the multiple cooking levels. With every kk you also get another advantage no other company can offer. Before you even buy your grill, you get the support of the owner of the company, Dennis Linkletter, plus he's with you along the entire journey. From purchase, to shipping, delivery, and set up, even some discussions on cooking, he's available. You simply won't hear much about warranty claims with kks, but if you do, it's about how quickly, and completely the situation is handled. In all, the kk is the way to go, I also recommend getting the biggest one you would possibly consider. Or get several, whichever works better for you. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk