Oh, boy. This seems like an assumption that could go really, really wrong. Admittedly, given the mushy letters, it seems reasonable to assume that Celia is T.J's girlfriend, and Zoe is their kid. And maybe they are. It just seems like something you should ask about before you assume.
Anyway, I wonder if T.J was telling the truth, in the beginning, when he tells Matt that he only fought against enlisting because he didn't want their dad to think that he had won. After all, he praises Matt's strength in surviving their father's company all alone while T.J is gone on deployment.
"...But you, you're already smarter than me. And stronger, in your way-you've weathered Dad all by yourself."
And even before that, he sounds like he's trying to convince himself he did the right thing.
"I chose to go. I talked about it with Dad. I met with the recruiter and decided on my specialization. Me. I chose it."
That sounds an awful lot like someone trying to make himself believe he picked this for him instead of Crazy Military Dad. And Matt talks about T.J and Dad fighting, yelling, slamming doors. T.J refusing to eat breakfast with them, stomping out to the car. That sounds like a pretty hardcore rebellion for someone just trying to make a point. After all, he spent all that time hiking with Matt- I find it hard to see him wanting to leave his little brother after that kind of bonding. He loved music, we know that from the description of his room- maybe he secretly wanted to have a career in that vein.
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