Go Air Force! Thanks for your service, and glad you are completing the repairs to your standard. You have heard from Westend on this thread a few times, he and several others on here have rebuilt some incredibly destroyed TT's into tanks! Click on his link in his response posts, and you will be amazed at what he has done!
In regards to being taken advantage of, while in the USAF I can recall 3 times I had serious issues with fellow airman regarding several integrity issues....it's in all walks of life, the military is no exception.
Carry on, and I hope to see you down the road one day, first cold one is on me.