Welcome to the kk forum and thank you for your service to our country.. Dennis is the best ... you wont find any other company that takes care of you from start to finish and beyond like dennis does simply a joy to work with.. I have a 23 have had it for just over a year before that i had big green egg for many years, and before that a weber kettle.. when you get a kk and cook on it you wont believe how awesome and moist your food is going to taste,you wont want to cook on anything else but that kk ...like others have stated get the biggest one you can afford you wont regret it ..good luck with your decision