Hey Tim hello and welcome to the board :-)

Yep, you have definitely come to the right place, for a start we totally understand everything you have described - sad eh lol!!

"Do you think Jehovah would approve of (insert harmless kid activity here) when you could be studying?"
OMG!! that was my JW mother down to a t.........she managed to spoil everything that was not JW related, even though I left school and became a regular pioneer (for her sake mainly) it was always the same old guilt trip.........if I had done my 100hrs a month and wanted to have an afternoon off it was alway the "but surely you are not counting the hours to that degree, that is only a guideline Jehovah expects you to give all you can"

I also loved it that the person you described as your best friend eventually became your wife..........what better way to find your partner than to already be their best friend!!

Good  on you for being brave enough, despite your fathers rantings, to escape a life of guilt and mind-control in this cult - I can just imagine how you were feeling that day when you had to tell him, not just that you were leaving the religion, but that you had joined the army *eek* double-whammy there then!!  My brother caused the same sort of furore when he joined the army years ago in his lunch-hour, and then casually told my mum over dinner  

Its great to have you here, you stay safe in Afghanistan.........and look forward to hearing more of your story, cos I just know that was the abridged version

Sam